Cross sections and excitation rates for electron collisions with heliumlike ions

Abstract

We describe the techniques and the approximations used in extensive calculations for cross sections and reaction-rate parameters for electron-impact excitation of a number of heliumlike ions. All transitions involving the ground state and the $n=2$ states are considered. Calculations are made in the distorted-wave approximation using configuration-interaction wave functions to represent the target states. Autoionizing resonances in the scattering cross sections are included through bound-channel correlation-type functions and through quantum-defect-theory analysis of the reactance matrices. The resonances are shown to make considerable contributions to the cross sections and thereby, in many cases, to enhance the excitation-rate coefficients by a significant factor. This should have important consequences for practical applications in the analysis of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. The accuracy of our approximations is also discussed.