Relativistic and resonant effects in the ionization of heavy atoms by ultra-intense hard X-rays

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06745-6
• Publication Date: 2018-10-04T15:24:11Z
• Authors: Benedikt Rudek; Koudai Toyota; Lutz Foucar; Benjamin Erk; Rebecca Boll; Cédric Bomme; Jonathan Correa; Sebastian Carron; Sébastien Boutet; Garth J. Williams; Ken R. Ferguson; Roberto Alonso-Mori; Jason E. Koglin; Tais Gorkhover; Maximilian Bucher; Carl Stefan Lehmann; Bertold Krässig; Stephen H. Southw...; Linda Young; Christoph Bostedt; Kiyoshi Ueda; Tatiana Marchenko; Marc Simon; Zoltan Jurek; Robin Santra; Artem Rudenko; Sang-Kil Son; Daniel Rolles
• Keywords: [PHYS.PHYS]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]; Science; Q; 500; Atomic and molecular interactions with photons; 541; 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy; Article; Free-electron lasers; 0103 physical sciences; Electronic structure of atoms and molecules; info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/500

Abstract An accurate description of the interaction intense hard X-ray pulses with heavy atoms, which is crucial for many applications free-electron lasers, represents a hitherto unresolved challenge theory because enormous number electronic configurations and relativistic effects, need to be taken into account. Here we report results on multiple ionization xenon atoms by ultra-intense (about 10 19 W/cm 2 ) femtosecond at photon energies from 5.5 8.3 keV present theoretical model capable reproducing experimental data in entire energy range. Our analysis shows that interplay resonant effects strongly structured charge state distributions, reflect positions relativistically shifted levels highly charged ions created during pulse. The approach described here provides basis modeling radiation damage imaging experiments targets high- Z constituents.