Gigagauss magnetic field measurements using Zeeman broadening of Ne-like transitions in highly charged ions

Abstract

The measurement of gigagauss magnetic fields using Zeeman broadening of Ne-like transitions in highly charged ions in high energy density plasmas is investigated. The transition in Xe44+ from the (2p51/23d3/2)J=1 level to the (2p6)J=0 ground level, designated 3C and having 4.858 keV transition energy, is considered in detail. Ne-like Xe spectra were previously recorded from compressed Xe-filled capsules, and the plasma conditions were determined from spectral line ratios and atomic code modeling. Using the Paschen–Back expression for Zeeman broadening produced by strong magnetic fields and the plasma conditions from the compressed Xe-filled capsule experiments to estimate the competing Stark, Doppler, and turbulence broadenings, it is found that >0.34 GG fields can be determined from spectra recorded by a high-resolution spectrometer having 1 eV resolution (5000 resolving power). By scaling the plasma conditions to higher temperatures and densities, the minimum detectable magnetic field is determined for Zeeman broadening of the 3C transition in Ne-like ions up to U82+. Recently developed transmission-crystal spectrometers, employing a cylindrically bent crystal in the Cauchois configuration, have sufficient resolution to determine gigagauss magnetic fields from Zeeman broadening of Ne-like transitions in the 4–18 keV range in Xe44+ to U82+.

Stark–Zeeman line-shape model for multi-electron radiators in hot dense plasmas subjected to large magnetic fields

“…Investigations of hydrogen line series in highly magnetized astrophysical plasmas have shown that the quadratic Zeeman terms give rise to additional structures and to a global shift that increases with the PQN. In high-energy-density plasmas, measuring gigagauss (10 5 T) magnetic fields using Zeemanbroadened lines from highly charged ions has been proposed, 74 and investigating how the quadratic terms affect the SZ line shapes emitted from highly charged ions may be very important because those lines are used as diagnostic tools.…”