Collision Processes of Highly Charged Ions with Electrons Studied with an Electron Beam Ion Trap

Abstract

The electron beam ion trap in Tokyo (Tokyo‐EBIT)[1] is suitable for studying relativistic effects in the collisions of highly charged heavy ions with electrons because it can produce and trap very highly charged heavy ions which interact with a mono‐energetic and unidirectional relativistic electron beam with an energy of up to 200 keV. Recently, we have been studying resonant processes in ionization[2] and recombination[3] by measuring the charge abundance inside the EBIT at the equilibrium. The abundance ratio between adjacent charge states varies slowly with the electron energy when there is no resonant process. However, when the electron energy coincides with the resonant energy at which ionization or recombination is enhanced, the abundance ratio can drastically change. Thus, the resonant processes can be studied by measuring the abundance ratio between adjacent ions as a function of electron beam energy[4]. In this talk, recent progress for heavy ions with very high charge states up to He‐like Bi81+, is presented. For such ions, relativistic effects significantly affect the resonant processes. For example, the generalized Breit interaction (GBI) effect, which treats the retardation in the exchange of single virtual photon between the free and orbital electrons, has been clearly observed in the DR resonant strength in Li‐like Bi80+ [5]. Recently we have also found that the GBI effect plays an important role in the interference between non‐resonant and resonant recombinations. Experimental results are presented in comparison with theoretical calculations.