Configurations of highly ionized fast sulphur projectiles passing through a carbon foil evaluated from low-resolution K x-ray spectra

Abstract

The Kα and Kβ satellite and hypersatellite x-ray lines for highly ionized sulphur projectiles passing through carbon foils of thickness between 15-210 µg cm-2 with energies of 99 and 122 MeV have been recorded using a Si(Li) detector. A new theoretical model based on the results of single-configuration Dirac-Fock calculations (and using equilibrium charge state distribution and fluorescence yields) has been proposed in order to evaluate the average population of different shells and to estimate the probability of appearance of the most important configurations in the sulphur ions passing through the carbon foils. The reliability of the model has been proved by a very good reproduction of the measured energy shifts for all Kα and Kβ satellite and hypersatellite peaks. The role of non-equilibrium charge fractions in various shells of sulphur ions has also been investigated in detail.