Lyman Series Research Articles

Unified line profiles for hydrogen perturbed by collisions with protons: satellites and asymmetries

We present new calculations of unified line profiles for hydrogen perturbed by collisions with protons. We report on new calculations of the potential energies and dipole moments which allow the evaluation of profiles for the lines of the Lyman series up to Lyman$\delta$ and the Balmer series up to Balmer10. Unified calculations only existed for the lines Lyman$\alpha$ to Lyman$\gamma$ and Balmer$\alpha$ including the H$_2^+$ quasi-molecule. These data are available as online material accompanying this paper and should be included in atmosphere models, in place of the Stark effect of protons, since the quasi-molecular contributions cause not only satellites, but large asymmetries that are unaccounted for in models that assume Stark broadening of electrons and protons are equal.

Constraint on a varying proton-electron mass ratio 1.5 billion years after the big bang.

A molecular hydrogen absorber at a lookback time of 12.4 billion years, corresponding to 10% of the age of the Universe today, is analyzed to put a constraint on a varying proton-electron mass ratio, μ. A high resolution spectrum of the J1443+2724 quasar, which was observed with the Very Large Telescope, is used to create an accurate model of 89 Lyman and Werner band transitions whose relative frequencies are sensitive to μ, yielding a limit on the relative deviation from the current laboratory value of Δμ/μ=(-9.5 ± 5.4(stat)± 5.3(syst))×10(-6).

HST/COS detection of a Ne viii absorber towards PG 1407+265: an unambiguous tracer of collisionally ionized hot gas?★

We report the detection of Ne VIII in a z_abs = 0.59961 absorber towards the QSO PG 1407+265 (z_em = 0.94). Besides Ne VIII, absorption from HI Lyman series lines (HI 1025 - 915), several other low (C II, N II, O II, and S II), intermediate (C III, N III, N IV, O III, S IV, and S V) and high (S VI, O VI, and Ne VIII) ionization metal lines are detected. Disparity in the absorption line kinematics between different ions implies that the absorbing gas comprises of multiple ionization phases. The low and the intermediate ions (except S V) trace a compact (~ 410 pc), metal-rich (Z ~ Z_sun) and over-dense (log n_H ~ -2.6) photoionized region that sustained star-formation for a prolonged period. The high ions, Ne VIII and O VI, can be explained as arising in a low density (-5.3 < log n_H < -5.0), metal-rich (Z > Z_sun) and diffuse (~ 180 kpc) photoionized gas. The S V, S VI and C IV (detected in the FOS spectrum) require an intermediate photoionization phase with -4.2 < log n_H < -3.5. Alternatively, a pure collisional ionization model, as used to explain the previous known Ne VIII absorbers, with 5.65 < log T < 5.72, can reproduce the S VI, O VI, and Ne VIII column densities simultaneously in a single phase. However, even such models require an intermediate phase to reproduce any observable S V and/or C IV. Therefore, we conclude that when multiple phases are present, the presence of Ne VIII is not necessarily an unambiguous indication of collisionally ionized hot gas.

Observation of highly disparateK-shell x-ray spectra produced by charge exchange with bare mid-Zions

We performed charge-exchange experiments with the electron-beam ion trap and an x-ray calorimeter spectrometer at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. We compare the relative strength of the high-$n$ Lyman series emission for different combinations of ions and neutral gases. Theoretical predictions show good agreement with experimental data on the relative capture cross section as a function of principal quantum number $n$; however, the few published predictions of the distribution of captures as a function of orbital angular momentum $l$ do not agree with experiments. Our experimental results show that the relative strength of high-$n$ Lyman series emission varies more widely than previous experiments have found and models predict. We find that hardness ratios from charge exchange with helium and molecular hydrogen are more disparate than charge exchange with many-electron neutral species, which is likely due to differences in the relative importance of multielectron capture. We also find that there is no clear scaling of the hardness ratio with the ionization potential of the neutral species, the number of valence electrons in the neutral species, or the atomic number of the ion.

The Balmer Lines of He ii in the Blue Wing of the Hydrogen Lyman α Line Observed in a Quiescent Prominence

We revisit the prominence observations in the Lyman α line of Curdt et al. (Astron. Astrophys.511, L4, 2010) and focus on the bump in the blue wing of the line, which we identify with He ii Balmer lines. We determine the transition candidates, derive an upper limit for the width of the profile and an associated non-thermal velocity close to 0 km s−1, with the assumption that the kinetic temperature is equal to the formation temperature. We compare the total intensity with the corresponding H Lyman α intensity and find a ratio much lower than that measured by Ebadi, Vial, and Ajabshirizadeh (Solar Phys.257, 91, 2009) in other Lyman lines. We confirm this result with observations performed by Schwartz et al. (private communication, 2014), we discuss a possible interpretation, and suggest that this issue needs to be addressed closely in future observations.

LINE OVERLAP AND SELF-SHIELDING OF MOLECULAR HYDROGEN IN GALAXIES

The effect of line overlap in the Lyman and Werner bands, often ignored in galactic studies of the atomic-to-molecular transition, greatly enhances molecular hydrogen self-shielding in low metallicity environments, and dominates over dust shielding for metallicities below about 10% solar. We implement that effect in cosmological hydrodynamics simulations with an empirical model, calibrated against the observational data, and provide fitting formulae for the molecular hydrogen fraction as a function of gas density on various spatial scales and in environments with varied dust abundance and interstellar radiation field. We find that line overlap, while important for detailed radiative transfer in the Lyman and Werner bands, has only a minor effect on star formation on galactic scales, which, to a much larger degree, is regulated by stellar feedback.

Extreme Ultraviolet Radiation Measurement for Planetary Atmospheres/Magnetospheres from the Earth-Orbiting Spacecraft (Extreme Ultraviolet Spectroscope for Exospheric Dynamics: EXCEED)

The Sprint-A satellite with the EUV spectrometer (Extreme Ultraviolet Spectroscope for Exospheric Dynamics: EXCEED) was launched in September 2013 by the Epsilon rocket. Now it is orbiting around the Earth (954.05 km×1156.87 km orbit; the period is 104 minutes) and one has started a broad and varied observation program. With an effective area of more than 1 cm2 and well-calibrated sensitivity in space, the EUV spectrometer will produce spectral images (520–1480 Å) of the atmospheres/magnetospheres of several planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) from the Earth’s orbit. At the first day of the observation, EUV emissions from the Io plasma torus (mainly sulfur ions) and aurora (H2 Lyman and Werner bands) of Jupiter have been identified. Continuous 3-month measurement for Io’s plasma torus and aurora is planned to witness the sporadic and sudden brightening events occurring on one or both regions. For Venus, the Fourth Positive (A1 Π-X1 Σ +) system of CO and some yet known emissions of the atmosphere were identified even though the exposure was short (8-min). Long-term exposure from April to June (for approximately 2 months) will visualize the Venusian ionosphere and tail in the EUV spectral range. Saturn and Mars are the next targets.

The geocoronal H α cascade component determined from geocoronal H β intensity measurements

AbstractGeocoronal H α and H β intensity measurements using the Wisconsin H α Mapper Fabry‐Perot are used to determine the intensity of the H α cascade component. From basic atomic physics and the work of Meier (), we show that the total cascade in geocoronal H α emission is 0.52 ± 0.03 times the geocoronal H β intensity, I(H β), for solar Lyman series excitation of geocoronal hydrogen. The results are consistent with the H α cascade measurements of Mierkiewicz et al. (), which were determined directly from the analysis of H α line profile measurements, and significantly narrow the range of uncertainty in the cascade measurement. Accounting for cascade is essential in determining exospheric effective temperatures and dynamics from the shape of the geocoronal H α line.

ATOMIC DATA FOR THE SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF MAGNETIC DA WHITE DWARFS IN THE SDSS

We present binding energies of hydrogen states in magnetic fields B = 0 to B ≈ 5 × 108 T, relevant for the modeling of the atmospheres of magnetic white dwarfs and neutron stars. We analyzed states with magnetic quantum number m = 0, ..., –4 and included states up to a principal quantum number n = 15 for a total of 300 states. Due to a sophisticated data point selection we can interpolate any energy value for each of these states with an absolute precision of at least 10–6 Ry for any magnetic field strength. Further, and also as a function of the magnetic field strength, we present dipole strengths of all transitions between these states relevant for the Lyman, Balmer, Paschen, and Brackett series, with similarly high precision.

Probing the circumgalactic medium at high-redshift using composite BOSS spectra of strong Lyman α forest absorbers

We present composite spectra constructed from a sample of 242,150 Lyman-alpha (Lya) forest absorbers at redshifts 2.4<z<3.1 identified in quasar spectra from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) as part of Data Release 9 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III. We select forest absorbers by their flux in bins 138 km/s wide (approximately the size of the BOSS resolution element). We split these absorbers into five samples spanning the range of flux -0.05 < F<0.45. Tests on a smaller sample of high-resolution spectra show that our three strongest absorption bins would probe circumgalactic regions (projected separation < 300 proper kpc and |Delta v| < 300km/s) in about 60% of cases for very high signal-to-noise ratio. Within this subset, weakening Lya absorption is associated with decreasing purity of circumgalactic selection once BOSS noise is included. Our weaker two Lya absorption samples are dominated by the intergalactic medium. We present composite spectra of these samples and a catalogue of measured absorption features from HI and 13 metal ionization species, all of which we make available to the community. We compare measurements of seven Lyman series transitions in our composite spectra to single line models and obtain further constraints from their associated excess Lyman limit opacity. This analysis provides results consistent with column densities over the range 14.4 <~ Log (N_HI) <~ 16.45. We compare our measurements of metal absorption to a variety of simple single-line, single-phase models for a preliminary interpretation. Our results imply clumping on scales down to ~30 pc and near-solar metallicities in the circumgalactic samples, while high-ionization metal absorption consistent with typical IGM densities and metallicities is visible in all samples.

Polarization of the Lyman line emission following radiative recombination of bare ions: effects of relativity and radiation multipoles

We have calculated the degree of linear polarization of the Ly-α1 (2p3/2 → 1s1/2) and Ly-β1 (3p3/2 → 1s1/2) lines emitted after radiative recombination of spinless bare nuclei with unidirectional, unpolarized electrons. These calculations have been performed for various recombined H-like ions with atomic numbers in the range 10 ⩽ Z ⩽ 92. Several incident-electron kinetic energies ε0 ranging from 0.01 to 10 times the electron binding energy in the 1s1/2 ground state were considered and the radiative cascades following recombination into states with principal quantum number up to n = 6 were included. Three sets of cross sections for radiative recombination to individual magnetic sublevels of the excited levels of the recombined H-like ions were computed: the first two in the electric-dipole approximation with the nonrelativistic and relativistic electron wavefunctions and the third one in the exact relativistic method including all multipole orders of the radiation field. Results for the polarization calculated using these three sets of cross-section data were compared in order to stress the relative importance of relativistic and multipole effects as Z or ε0 increases.

In-laboratory sensitivity calibration of an optical emission spectroscopy system in vacuum ultraviolet wavelength range

We calibrated the wavelength dependence of the relative sensitivity of an optical emission spectroscopy system, which was composed of a grating monochromator and a secondary electron multiplier tube, in a vacuum ultraviolet wavelength range on the basis of the calibrated sensitivity of a silicon photodiode. The experimental result shows a significant wavelength dependence of the sensitivity in a wavelength range between 80 and 160 nm. The calibration curve was compared with the absolute sensitivity evaluated using a branching ratio technique at the Lyman and Balmer lines of atomic hydrogen.

Plasma pressure broadening for few-electron emitters including strong electron collisions within a quantum-statistical theory.

To apply spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool for dense plasmas, a theoretical approach to pressure broadening is indispensable. Here, a quantum-statistical theory is used to calculate spectral line shapes of few-electron atoms. Ionic perturbers are treated quasistatically as well as dynamically via a frequency fluctuation model. Electronic perturbers are treated in the impact approximation. Strong electron-emitter collisions are consistently taken into account with an effective two-particle T-matrix approach. Convergent close-coupling calculations give scattering amplitudes including Debye screening for neutral emitters. For charged emitters, the effect of plasma screening is estimated. The electron densities considered reach up to n(e) = 10(27) m(-3). Temperatures are between T = 10(4) and 10(5) K. The results are compared with a dynamically screened Born approximation for Lyman lines of H and H-like Li as well as for the He 3889 Å line. For the last, a comprehensive comparison to simulations and experiments is given. For the H Lyman-α line, the width and shift are drastically reduced by the Debye screening. In the T-matrix approach, the line shape is notably changed due to the dependence on the magnetic quantum number of the emitter, whereas the difference between spin-scattering channels is negligible.

ANALYSIS OF MOLECULAR HYDROGEN ABSORPTION TOWARD QSO B0642–5038 FOR A VARYING PROTON-TO-ELECTRON MASS RATIO

Rovibronic molecular hydrogen (H$_2$) transitions at redshift $z_{\rm abs} \simeq 2.659$ towards the background quasar B0642$-$5038 are examined for a possible cosmological variation in the proton-to-electron mass ratio, $\mu$. We utilise an archival spectrum from the Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph with a signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim$35 per 2.5-km$\,$s$^{-1}$ pixel at the observed H$_2$ wavelengths (335--410 nm). Some 111 H$_2$ transitions in the Lyman and Werner bands have been identified in the damped Lyman $\alpha$ system for which a kinetic gas temperature of $\sim$84 K and a molecular fraction $\log f = -2.18\pm0.08$ is determined. The H$_2$ absorption lines are included in a comprehensive fitting method, which allows us to extract a constraint on a variation of the proton-electron mass ratio, $\Delta\mu/\mu$, from all transitions at once. We obtain $\Delta\mu/\mu = (17.1 \pm 4.5_{\rm stat} \pm3.7_{\rm sys})\times10^{-6}$. However, we find evidence that this measurement has been affected by wavelength miscalibration errors recently identified in UVES. A correction based on observations of objects with solar-like spectra gives a smaller $\Delta\mu/\mu$ value and contributes to a larger systematic uncertainty: $\Delta\mu/\mu = (12.7 \pm 4.5_{\rm stat} \pm4.2_{\rm sys})\times10^{-6}$.

High-precision x-ray spectroscopy of highly charged ions with microcalorimeters

The precise determination of the energy of the Lyman α1 and α2 lines in hydrogen-like heavy ions provides a sensitive test of quantum electrodynamics in very strong Coulomb fields. To improve the experimental precision, the new detector concept of microcalorimeters is now exploited for such measurements. Such detectors consist of compensated-doped silicon thermistors and Pb or Sn absorbers to obtain high quantum efficiency in the energy range of 40–70 keV, where the Doppler-shifted Lyman lines are located. For the first time, a microcalorimeter was applied in an experiment to precisely determine the transition energy of the Lyman lines of lead ions at the experimental storage ring at GSI. The energy of the Ly α1 line E(Ly-α1, 207Pb81+) = (77937 ± 12stat ± 25syst) eV agrees within error bars with theoretical predictions. To improve the experimental precision, a new detector array with more pixels and better energy resolution was equipped and successfully applied in an experiment to determine the Lyman-α lines of gold ions 197Au78+.

The ESO UVES advanced data products quasar sample

We present here a dataset of quasars observed with the Ultraviolet Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on the VLT and available in the ESO UVES Advanced Data Products archive. The sample is made up of a total of 250 high resolution quasar spectra with emission redshifts ranging from 0.191 < z_em <6.311. The total UVES exposure time of this dataset is 1560 hours. Thanks to the high resolution of UVES spectra, it is possible to unambiguously measure the column density of absorbers with damping wings, down to N_HI > 10^{19} cm^{-2}, which constitutes the sub-damped Lya absorber (sub-DLA) threshold. Within the wavelength coverage of our UVES data, we find 150 damped Lya systems (DLAs)/sub-DLAs in the range 1.5 < z_abs < 4.7. Of these 150, 93 are DLAs and 57 are sub-DLAs. An extensive search in the literature indicates that 6 of these DLAs and 13 of these sub-DLAs have their N_HI measured for the first time. Among them, 10 are new identifications as DLAs/sub-DLAs. For each of these systems, we obtain an accurate measurement of the HI column density and the absorber's redshift in the range 1.7 < z_abs < 4.2 by implementing a Voigt profile-fitting algorithm. These absorbers are further confirmed thanks to the detection of associated metal lines and/or lines from members of the Lyman series. In our data, a few quasars' lines-of-sight are rich. An interesting example is towards QSO J0133+0400 (z_em = 4.154) with six DLAs and sub-DLAs reported.

Generation of VUV radiation in Lyman and Werner bands of pulsed space discharge in hydrogen mixtures with helium

A self-consistent numerical model for the self-sustained high-current pulsed discharge is constructed based on the solution of the equations of the population of H2 electronic and vibrational states. The model accounts for electronic, ion-molecular, and vibrational kinetics, electron attachment to and detachment from the H2 molecule, Lyman and Werner band emission, and their radiation trapping. The equations of electron-vibrational kinetics are solved simultaneously with the Boltzmann equation for the electron energy distribution function and the external electrical circuit equations.

A high molecular fraction in a subdamped absorber at z = 0.56★

Measuring rest-frame ultraviolet rotational transitions from the Lyman and Werner bands in absorption against a bright background continuum is one of the few ways to directly measure molecular hydrogen (H2). Here we report the detection of Lyman-Werner absorption from H2 at z=0.56 in a sub-damped Ly-alpha system with neutral hydrogen column density N(HI) = 10^(19.5 +/- 0.2) cm^-2. This is the first H2 system analysed at a redshift < 1.5 beyond the Milky Way halo. It has a surprisingly high molecular fraction: log f(H2) > -1.93 +/- 0.36 based on modelling the line profiles, with a robust model-independent lower limit of f(H2) > 10^-3. This is higher than f(H2) values seen along sightlines with similar N(HI) through the Milky Way disk and the Magellanic clouds. The metallicity of the absorber is 0.19 +0.21 -0.10 solar, with a dust-to-gas ratio < 0.36 times the value in the solar neighbourhood. Absorption from associated low-ionisation metal transitions such as OI and FeII is observed in addition to OVI. Using Cloudy models we show that there are three phases present; a ~100 K phase giving rise to H2, a ~10^4 K phase where most of the low-ionisation metal absorption is produced; and a hotter phase associated with OVI. Based on similarities to high velocity clouds in the Milky Way halo showing H2 and the presence of two nearby galaxy candidates with impact parameters of ~10 kpc, we suggest that the absorber may be produced by a tidally-stripped structure similar to the Magellanic Stream.

Comparative Study on Ion‐Dynamics for Broadening of Lyman Lines in Dense Hydrogen Plasmas

AbstractBroadening of spectral lines by a plasma surrounding can be used for plasma diagnostics. Full hydrogen Lyman line profiles are calculated with a quantum‐statistical approach. The effects of plasma electrons and ions on the emitter states are considered separately. The influence of electrons is considered in a dynamically screened Born approximation (collision approximation). For the ions, we apply the quasi‐static approximation and two different approaches to account for ion‐dynamics, namely, the model microfield method (MMM) and the frequency fluctuation model (FFM). We compare resulting widths of Lyman lines in the temperature range T = 104 to 107 K and the free electron density range ne = 1023 to 1026 m–3. For Lα, the error made by neglecting ion‐dynamics increases with increasing temperature and decreasing density, and is at least –15%. Due to the double peaked structure of Lβ the situation is less systematic. However, a large region exists, where ion‐dynamics does not affect the line shape of Lβ. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &amp; Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Fluctuations of the intergalactic ionization field at redshiftz~ 2

(Abridged) Aims. To probe the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the ionizing background radiation at z ~ 2 and to specify the sources contributing to the intergalactic radiation field. Methods. The spectrum of a bright quasar HS1103+6416 (zem = 2.19) contains five successive metal-line absorption systems at zabs = 1.1923, 1.7193, 1.8873, 1.8916, and 1.9410. The systems are optically thin and reveal multiple lines of different metal ions with the ionization potentials lying in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range (1 Ryd to 0.2 keV). For each system, the EUV SED of the underlying ionization field is reconstructed by means of a special technique developed for solving the inverse problem in spectroscopy. For the zabs = 1.8916 system, the analysis also involves the HeI resonance lines of the Lyman series and the HeI 504 A continuum, which are seen for the first time in any cosmic object except the Sun. Results. From one system to another, the SED of the ionizing continuum changes significantly, indicating that the intergalactic ionization field at z ~ 2 fluctuates at the scale of at least Delta_z ~ 0.004. This is consistent with Delta_z ~ 0.01 estimated from HeII and HI Lyman-alpha forest measurements between the redshifts 2 and 3.