Relativistic and resonant effects in the ionization of heavy atoms by ultra-intense hard X-rays
An accurate description of the interaction of intense hard X-ray pulses with heavy atoms, which is crucial for many applications of free-electron lasers, represents a hitherto unresolved challenge for theory because of the enormous number of electronic configurations and relativistic effects, which need to be taken into account. Here we report results on multiple ionization of xenon atoms by ultra-intense (about 10(19) W/cm(2)) femtosecond X-ray pulses at photon energies from 5.5 to 8.3 keV and present a theoretical model capable of reproducing the experimental data in the entire energy range. Our analysis shows that the interplay of resonant and relativistic effects results in strongly structured charge state distributions, which reflect resonant positions of relativistically shifted electronic levels of highly charged ions created during the X-ray pulse. The theoretical approach described here provides a basis for accurate modeling of radiation damage in hard X-ray imaging experiments on targets with high-Z constituents
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division; National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357; AC02- 76SF00515; SC0012704; AC02-76SF00515
- OSTI ID:
- 1619798
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1482558; OSTI ID: 1488387; OSTI ID: 1490642
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-209457-2018-JAAM; 4200; PII: 6745
- Journal Information:
- Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Vol. 9 Journal Issue: 1; ISSN 2041-1723
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Similar Records
Pulse Energy and Pulse Duration Effects in the Ionization and Fragmentation of Iodomethane by Ultraintense Hard X Rays
Hard x-ray – optical four-wave mixing using a split-and-delay line