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Showing papers on "Ionization published in 2010"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used the large difference in ionization potentials between successive ionization states of trace atoms for injecting electrons into a laser-driven wakefield, where a mixture of helium and trace amounts of nitrogen gas was used.
Abstract: A method, which utilizes the large difference in ionization potentials between successive ionization states of trace atoms, for injecting electrons into a laser-driven wakefield is presented. Here a mixture of helium and trace amounts of nitrogen gas was used. Electrons from the K shell of nitrogen were tunnel ionized near the peak of the laser pulse and were injected into and trapped by the wake created by electrons from majority helium atoms and the L shell of nitrogen. The spectrum of the accelerated electrons, the threshold intensity at which trapping occurs, the forward transmitted laser spectrum, and the beam divergence are all consistent with this injection process. The experimental measurements are supported by theory and 3D OSIRIS simulations.

422 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
22 Mar 2010-Analyst
TL;DR: An overview of the field of ambient ionization MS is given, followed by broad classification to allow detailed discussion of theory and common mechanistic factors underpinning a number of key techniques, and consideration will be given to experimental design, ease of implementation and analytical performance.
Abstract: Ambient ionization mass spectrometry allows the rapid analysis of samples or objects in their native state in the open environment with no prior preparation. Over the past six years, the ability of these techniques to provide selective analyte desorption and ionization, in combination with mass spectrometry (MS), has provided a growing number of powerful analytical alternatives across broad application areas, both quantitative and qualitative in nature, including pharmaceutical analysis, process chemistry, biological imaging, in vivo analysis, proteomics, metabolomics, forensics, and explosives detection. With the emergence of new ambient ionization methods, and the complementary nature of existing desorption and/or ionization techniques, additional hyphenated methods have been devised, which pushes the total number of documented methods to almost thirty. To cover all current ambient ionization techniques in detail would be too complex and detract from the main objective of this review. Rather, an overview of the field of ambient ionization MS will be given, followed by broad classification to allow detailed discussion of theory and common mechanistic factors underpinning a number of key techniques. Consideration will be given to experimental design, ease of implementation and analytical performance, detailing subsequent impact on a number of application areas, both established and emerging.

344 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used particle-in-cell modeling including ionization to generate electron beams with lower emittance and higher charge than those generated in preionized gas.
Abstract: Experimental studies of electrons produced in a laser wakefield accelerator indicate trapping initiated by ionization of target gas atoms. Targets composed of helium and controlled amounts of various gases were found to increase the beam charge by as much as an order of magnitude compared to pure helium at the same electron density and decrease the beam divergence from $5.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.0$ to $2.9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.8\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{mrad}$. The measurements are supported by particle-in-cell modeling including ionization. This mechanism should allow generation of electron beams with lower emittance and higher charge than in preionized gas.

344 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a polar molecule can be oriented in 3D by using a combination of laser and electrostatic fields, which should help to obtain molecular-frame information about strong-field ionization processes in molecules for which the orientation cannot be determined after ionization.
Abstract: An experimental study shows how a polar molecule can be oriented in three dimensions by using a combination of laser and electrostatic fields. The approach should help to obtain molecular-frame information about strong-field ionization processes in molecules for which the orientation cannot be determined after ionization.

312 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of incident X-rays on the surface of an accretion disk by simultaneously solving the equations of radiative transfer, energy balance, and ionization equilibrium over a large range of column densities were considered.
Abstract: We present new models for illuminated accretion disks, their structure, and reprocessed emission. We consider the effects of incident X-rays on the surface of an accretion disk by simultaneously solving the equations of radiative transfer, energy balance, and ionization equilibrium over a large range of column densities. We assume plane-parallel geometry and azimuthal symmetry, such that each calculation corresponds to a ring at a given distance from the central object. Our models include recent and complete atomic data for K-shell processes of the iron and oxygen isonuclear sequences. We examine the effect on the spectrum of fluorescent Kα line emission and absorption in the emitted spectrum. We also explore the dependence of the spectrum on the strength of the incident X-rays and other input parameters, and discuss the importance of Comptonization on the emitted spectrum.

306 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors demonstrate a laser wakefield accelerator with a novel electron injection scheme resulting in enhanced stability, reproducibility, and ease of use, which can be easily adapted to different laser parameters and should therefore allow scaling to the energy range of several hundred MeV.
Abstract: We demonstrate a laser wakefield accelerator with a novel electron injection scheme resulting in enhanced stability, reproducibility, and ease of use. In order to inject electrons into the accelerating phase of the plasma wave, a sharp downward density transition is employed. Prior to ionization by the laser pulse this transition is formed by a shock front induced by a knife edge inserted into a supersonic gas jet. With laser pulses of 8 fs duration and with only 65 mJ energy on target, the accelerator produces a monoenergetic electron beam with tunable energy between 15 and 25 MeV and on average 3.3 pC charge per electron bunch. The shock-front injector is a simple and powerful new tool to enhance the reproducibility of laser-driven electron accelerators, is easily adapted to different laser parameters, and should therefore allow scaling to the energy range of several hundred MeV.

261 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the AAOmega-SPIRAL integral field spectrograph was used to study 10 nearby galaxies with the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescope, the largest survey of its kind to date.
Abstract: In recent years, we have come to recognize the widespread importance of large-scale winds in the life cycle of galaxies. The onset and evolution of a galactic wind is a highly complex process which must be understood if we are to understand how energy and metals are recycled throughout the galaxy and beyond. Here we present three-dimensional spectroscopic observations of a sample of 10 nearby galaxies with the AAOmega-SPIRAL integral-field spectrograph on the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescope, the largest survey of its kind to date. The double-beam spectrograph provides spatial maps in a range of spectral diagnostics: [O III]5007, Hβ, Mg b, Na D, [O I]6300, Hα, [N II]6583, [S II]6717, 6731. We demonstrate that these flows can often separate into highly ordered structures through the use of ionization diagnostics and kinematics. All of the objects in our survey show extensive wind-driven filamentation along the minor axis, in addition to large-scale disk rotation. Our sample can be divided into either starburst galaxies or active galactic nuclei (AGNs), although some objects appear to be a combination of these. The total ionizing photon budget available to both classes of galaxies is sufficient to ionize all of the wind-blown filamentation out to large radius. We find, however, that while AGN photoionization always dominates in the wind filaments, this is not the case in starburst galaxies where shock ionization dominates. This clearly indicates that after the onset of star formation, there is a substantial delay (10 Myr) before a starburst wind develops. We show why this behavior is expected by deriving "ionization" and dynamical timescales for both AGNs and starbursts. We establish a sequence of events that lead to the onset of a galactic wind. The clear signature provided by the ionization timescale is arguably the strongest evidence yet that the starburst phenomenon is an impulsive event. A well-defined ionization timescale is not expected in galaxies with a protracted history of circumnuclear star formation. Our three-dimensional data provide important templates for comparisons with high-redshift galaxies.

259 citations


Book ChapterDOI
21 May 2010

252 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reported the direct observation of an ultrafast transfer of energy across the hydrogen bridge in (H2O)2 (a so-called water dimer) leading to an ejection of a low-energy electron from the molecular neighbour of the initially excited molecule.
Abstract: Analysis of the electrons ionized from water dimers suggests that the energy absorbed by one molecule is rapidly transmitted to the second molecule from which the electron is ejected. This process, referred to as intermolecular Coulombic decay, is a qualitatively different source of low-energy electrons to conventional direct ionization processes. At the transition from the gas to the liquid phase of water, a wealth of new phenomena emerge, which are absent for isolated H2O molecules. Many of those are important for the existence of life, for astrophysics and atmospheric science. In particular, the response to electronic excitation changes completely as more degrees of freedom become available. Here we report the direct observation of an ultrafast transfer of energy across the hydrogen bridge in (H2O)2 (a so-called water dimer). This intermolecular coulombic decay leads to an ejection of a low-energy electron from the molecular neighbour of the initially excited molecule. We observe that this decay is faster than the proton transfer that is usually a prominent pathway in the case of electronic excitation of small water clusters and leads to dissociation of the water dimer into two H2O+ ions. As electrons of low energy (∼0.7–20 eV) have recently been found to efficiently break-up DNA constituents1,2, the observed decay channel might contribute as a source of electrons that can cause radiation damage in biological matter.

241 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An approach for quantifying ESI efficiencies and setting up a self-consistent quantitative experimental ESI efficiency scale of organic compounds under predefined ionization conditions (ionization by monoprotonation) has been developed recently.
Abstract: Ionization efficiency (IE) of different compounds in electrospray ionization (ESI) source differs widely, leading to widely differing sensitivities of ESI-MS to different analytes. An approach for quantifying ESI efficiencies (as logIE values) and setting up a self-consistent quantitative experimental ESI efficiency scale of organic compounds under predefined ionization conditions (ionization by monoprotonation) has been developed recently. Using this approach a logIE scale containing 62 compounds of different chemical nature and ranging for 6 orders of magnitude has been established. The scale is based on over 400 relative IE (ΔlogIE) measurements between more than 250 different pairs of compounds. To evaluate which molecular parameters contribute the most to the IE of a compound linear regression analysis logIE values and different molecular parameters were carried out. The two most influential parameters in predicting the IE in ESI source are the pKa and the molecular volume of the compound. This scale...

240 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the production of low-energy electrons in amorphous medium-sized water clusters, which simulate water molecules in an aqueous environment, and identify a hitherto unrecognized extra source of lowenergy electrons produced by a non-local autoionization process called intermolecular coulombic decay (ICD).
Abstract: Most of the low-energy electrons emitted from a material when it is subjected to ionization radiation are believed to be directly ionized secondary electrons. Coincidence measurements of the electrons ejected from water clusters suggests many are produced by a quantitatively new mechanism, known as intermolecular Coulombic decay. Low-energy electrons are the most abundant product of ionizing radiation in condensed matter. The origin of these electrons is most commonly understood to be secondary electrons1 ionized from core or valence levels by incident radiation and slowed by multiple inelastic scattering events. Here, we investigate the production of low-energy electrons in amorphous medium-sized water clusters, which simulate water molecules in an aqueous environment. We identify a hitherto unrecognized extra source of low-energy electrons produced by a non-local autoionization process called intermolecular coulombic decay2 (ICD). The unequivocal signature of this process is observed in coincidence measurements of low-energy electrons and photoelectrons generated from inner-valence states with vacuum-ultraviolet light. As ICD is expected to take place universally in weakly bound aggregates containing light atoms between carbon and neon in the periodic table2,3, these results could have implications for our understanding of ionization damage in living tissues.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the improvement of sub-threshold slope due to impact ionization is compared between standard inversion-mode multigate silicon nanowire transistors and junctionless transistors.
Abstract: The improvement of subthreshold slope due to impact ionization is compared between “standard” inversion-mode multigate silicon nanowire transistors and junctionless transistors. The length of the region over which impact ionization takes place, as well as the amplitude of the impact ionization rate are found to be larger in the junctionless devices, which reduces the drain voltage necessary to obtain a sharp subthreshold slope.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the broad-band emission from SNR RX J1713.7-3946 was modeled in a nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) model, where the initial cold electrons are heated either by Coulomb collisions with the shock heated protons or come into instant equilibrium with the protons.
Abstract: We model the broad-band emission from SNR RX J1713.7-3946 including, for the first time, a consistent calculation of thermal X-ray emission together with non-thermal emission in a nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) model. Our model tracks the evolution of the SNR including the plasma ionization state between the forward shock and the contact discontinuity. We use a plasma emissivity code to predict the thermal X-ray emission spectrum assuming the initially cold electrons are heated either by Coulomb collisions with the shock heated protons (the slowest possible heating), or come into instant equilibration with the protons. For either electron heating model, electrons reach >10^7 K rapidly and the X-ray line emission near 1 keV is more than 10 times as luminous as the underlying thermal bremsstrahlung continuum. Since recent Suzaku observations show no detectable line emission, this places strong constraints on the unshocked ambient medium density and on the relativistic electron to proton ratio. For the uniform circumstellar medium (CSM) models we consider, the low densities and high relativistic electron to proton ratios required to match the Suzaku X-ray observations definitively rule out pion-decay as the emission process producing GeV-TeV photons. We show that leptonic models, where inverse-Compton scattering against the cosmic background radiation dominates the GeV-TeV emission, produce better fits to the broad-band thermal and non-thermal observations in a uniform CSM.

01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: A review of the state-of-the-art soft ionization mass spectrometers can be found in this paper, covering the latest developments of novel techniques, enabling instrumentation as well as the important applications.
Abstract: Two decades after the introduction of matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI), soft ionization mass spectrometry represents a powerful toolset for the structural investigation of synthetic polymers. The present review highlights the current state-of-the-art, covering the latest developments of novel techniques, enabling instrumentation as well as the important applications of soft ionization MS from the beginning of 2008. Special attention is paid to the role that soft ionization MS has played in the mechanistic investigation of radical polymerization processes since 2005. © 2010 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of the state-of-the-art soft ionization mass spectrometers can be found in this paper, covering the latest developments of novel techniques, enabling instrumentation as well as the important applications of soft ionisation MS from the beginning of 2008.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the broadband X-ray emission from supernova remnant (SNR) RX J1713.7-3946 was modeled in a nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration model.
Abstract: We model the broadband emission from supernova remnant (SNR) RX J1713.7-3946 including, for the first time, a consistent calculation of thermal X-ray emission together with non-thermal emission in a nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration model. Our model tracks the evolution of the SNR including the plasma ionization state between the forward shock and the contact discontinuity. We use a plasma emissivity code to predict the thermal X-ray emission spectrum assuming the initially cold electrons are heated either by Coulomb collisions with the shock-heated protons (the slowest possible heating), or come into instant equilibration with the protons. For either electron heating model, electrons reach 107 K rapidly and the X-ray line emission near 1 keV is more than 10 times as luminous as the underlying thermal bremsstrahlung continuum. Since recent Suzaku observations show no detectable line emission, this places strong constraints on the unshocked ambient medium density and on the relativistic electron-to-proton ratio. For the uniform circumstellar medium (CSM) models that we consider, the low densities and high relativistic electron-to-proton ratios required to match the Suzaku X-ray observations definitively rule out pion decay as the emission process producing GeV-TeV photons. We show that leptonic models, where inverse-Compton scattering against the cosmic background radiation dominates the GeV-TeV emission, produce better fits to the broadband thermal and non-thermal observations in a uniform CSM.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a quantitative rescattering (QRS) theory was proposed to explain the strong field phenomena of high-order harmonic generation, high-energy above-threshold ionization and non-sequential double ionization.
Abstract: When an atom or molecule is exposed to a short intense laser pulse, electrons that were removed at an earlier time may be driven back by the oscillating electric field of the laser to recollide with the parent ion, to incur processes like high-order harmonic generation (HHG), high-energy above-threshold ionization (HATI) and nonsequential double ionization (NSDI). Over the years, a rescattering model (the three-step model) has been used to understand these strong field phenomena qualitatively, but not quantitatively. Recently we have established such a quantitative rescattering (QRS) theory. According to QRS, the yields for HHG, HATI and NSDI can be expressed as the product of a returning electron wave packet with various field-free electron–ion scattering cross sections, namely photo-recombination, elastic electron scattering and electron-impact ionization, respectively. The validity of QRS is first demonstrated by comparing with accurate numerical results from solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation (TDSE) for atoms. It is then applied to atoms and molecules to explain recent experimental data. According to QRS, accurate field-free electron scattering and photoionization cross sections can be obtained from the HATI and HHG spectra, respectively. These cross sections are the conventional tools for studying the structure of a molecule; thus, QRS serves to provide the required theoretical foundation for the self-imaging of a molecule in strong fields by its own electrons. Since infrared lasers of duration of a few femtoseconds are readily available today, these results imply that they are suitable for probing the dynamics of molecules with temporal resolutions of a few femtoseconds.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated the cooling factor of W using state-of-the-art data for line radiation and an ionization balance which has been benchmarked with experiment.
Abstract: The cooling factor of W is evaluated using state of the art data for line radiation and an ionization balance which has been benchmarked with experiment. For the calculation of line radiation, level-resolved calculations were performed with the Cowan code to obtain the electronic structure and excitation cross sections ( plane-wave Born approximation). The data were processed by a collisional radiative model to obtain electron density dependent emissions. These data were then combined with the radiative power derived from recombination rates and bremsstrahlung to obtain the total cooling factor. The effect of uncertainties in the recombination rates on the cooling factor was studied and was identified to be of secondary importance. The new cooling factor is benchmarked, by comparisons of the line radiation with spectral measurements as well as with a direct measurement of the cooling factor. Additionally, a less detailed calculation using a configuration averaged model was performed. It was used to benchmark the level-resolved calculations and to improve the prediction on radiation power from line radiation for ionization stages which are computationally challenging. The obtained values for the cooling factor validate older predictions from the literature. Its ingredients and the absolute value are consistent with the existing experimental results regarding the value itself, the spectral distribution of emissions and the ionization equilibrium. A table of the cooling factor versus electron temperature is provided. Finally, the cooling factor is used to investigate the operational window of a fusion reactor with W as intrinsic impurity. The minimum value of nT tau(E), for which a thermonuclear burn is possible, is increased by 20% for a W concentration of 3.0 x 10(-5) compared with a plasma without any impurities, except for the He ash which is considered in both cases.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work uses the spectrum and ellipticity of the harmonic light to reconstruct the relative phase between different ionization continua participating in the ionization, and thus determine the shape and location of the hole left in the molecule by strong-field ionization.
Abstract: We perform high harmonic generation spectroscopy of aligned nitrogen molecules to characterize the attosecond dynamics of multielectron rearrangement during strong-field ionization. We use the spectrum and ellipticity of the harmonic light to reconstruct the relative phase between different ionization continua participating in the ionization, and thus determine the shape and location of the hole left in the molecule by strong-field ionization. Our interferometric technique uses transitions between the ionic states, induced by the laser field on the subcycle time scale.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Two-dimensional imaging mass spectrometry allows direct investigation of the distribution of a variety of lipids, drugs, biological defensive agents, pigments and proteins in plant and animal tissues with high specificity and without the need of fluorescent or radioactive labelling.
Abstract: Two-dimensional (2D) imaging mass spectrometry (MS)[1] has emerged as a powerful technique in the biological sciences. It allows direct investigation of the distribution of a variety of lipids, drugs, biological defensive agents, pigments and proteins in plant and animal tissues with high specificity and without the need of fluorescent or radioactive labelling normally used in histochemical protocols.[2, 3] In imaging MS, the chemical identity of molecules present on a surface is investigated as a function of their 2D spatial distribution (x and y coordinates).

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A detailed picture of intense x-ray induced ionization and dissociation dynamics is revealed, including a molecular mechanism of frustrated absorption that suppresses the formation of high charge states at short pulse durations.
Abstract: Sequential multiple photoionization of the prototypical molecule N2 is studied with femtosecond time resolution using the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). A detailed picture of intense x-ray induced ionization and dissociation dynamics is revealed, including a molecular mechanism of frustrated absorption that suppresses the formation of high charge states at short pulse durations. The inverse scaling of the average target charge state with x-ray peak brightness has possible implications for single-pulse imaging applications.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A two-dimensional model coupling Maxwell equations with plasma fluid equations is used to describe the formation of patterns under conditions similar to recent experiments and for a wave electric field perpendicular to the simulation domain or in the simulationdomain.
Abstract: High power microwave breakdown at atmospheric pressure leads to the formation of filamentary plasma arrays that propagate toward the source. A two-dimensional model coupling Maxwell equations with plasma fluid equations is used to describe the formation of patterns under conditions similar to recent experiments and for a wave electric field perpendicular to the simulation domain or in the simulation domain. The calculated patterns are in excellent qualitative agreement with the experiments, with good quantitative agreement of the propagation speed of the filaments. The propagation of the plasma filaments is due to the combination of diffusion and ionization. Emphasis is put on the fact that free electron diffusion (and not ambipolar diffusion) associated with ionization is responsible for the propagation of the front.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a general solution for the equilibrium timescale for each element arises from the elegant eigenvector method of solution to the problem of a non-equilibrium plasma described by Masai and Hughes & Helfand.
Abstract: Astrophysical shocks or bursts from a photoionizing source can disturb the typical collisional plasma found in galactic interstellar media or the intergalactic medium. The spectrum emitted by this plasma contains diagnostics that have been used to determine the time since the disturbing event, although this determination becomes uncertain as the elements in the plasma return to ionization equilibrium. A general solution for the equilibrium timescale for each element arises from the elegant eigenvector method of solution to the problem of a non-equilibrium plasma described by Masai and Hughes & Helfand. In general, the ionization evolution of an element Z in a constant electron temperature plasma is given by a coupled set of Z + 1 first-order differential equations. However, they can be recast as Z uncoupled first-order differential equations using an eigenvector basis for the system. The solution is then Z separate exponential functions, with the time constants given by the eigenvalues of the rate matrix. The smallest of these eigenvalues gives the scale of the slowest return to equilibrium independent of the initial conditions, while conversely the largest eigenvalue is the scale of the fastest change in the ion population. These results hold for an ionizing plasma, a recombining plasma, or even a plasma with random initial conditions, and will allow users of these diagnostics to determine directly if their best-fit result significantly limits the timescale since a disturbance or is so close to equilibrium as to include an arbitrarily long time.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare the predictions of four different algorithms for the distribution of ionized gas during the Epoch of Reionization, and compare these algorithms' resulting ionization and 21 cm fields using several different statistical measures.
Abstract: We compare the predictions of four different algorithms for the distribution of ionized gas during the Epoch of Reionization. These algorithms are all used to run a 100 Mpc/h simulation of reionization with the same initial conditions. Two of the algorithms are state-of-the-art ray-tracing radiative transfer codes that use disparate methods to calculate the ionization history. The other two algorithms are fast but more approximate schemes based on iterative application of a smoothing filter to the underlying source and density fields. We compare these algorithms' resulting ionization and 21 cm fields using several different statistical measures. The two radiative transfer schemes are in excellent agreement with each other (with the cross-correlation coefficient of the ionization fields >0.8 for k 0.6 for k < 1 h/Mpc). When used to predict the 21cm power spectrum at different times during reionization, all ionization algorithms agree with one another at the 10s of percent level. This agreement suggests that the different approximations involved in the ray tracing algorithms are sensible and that semi-numerical schemes provide a numerically-inexpensive, yet fairly accurate, description of the reionization process.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Using 1.1 keV photons for sequential x-ray ionization of impulsively aligned molecular nitrogen, the Linac Coherent Light Source free electron laser enables double core vacancy Auger electron spectroscopy, an entirely new way to study femtosecond chemical dynamics with Auger electrons that probe the local valence structure of molecules near a specific atomic core.
Abstract: The Linac Coherent Light Source free electron laser is a source of high brightness x rays, $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{11}$ photons in a $\ensuremath{\sim}5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{fs}$ pulse, that can be focused to produce double core vacancies through rapid sequential ionization. This enables double core vacancy Auger electron spectroscopy, an entirely new way to study femtosecond chemical dynamics with Auger electrons that probe the local valence structure of molecules near a specific atomic core. Using 1.1 keV photons for sequential x-ray ionization of impulsively aligned molecular nitrogen, we observed a rich single-site double core vacancy Auger electron spectrum near 413 eV, in good agreement with ab initio calculations, and we measured the corresponding Auger electron angle dependence in the molecular frame.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review summarizes the basic rules for the interpretation of atmospheric pressure ionization (API) mass spectra of small molecules written with the style primarily intended for beginners and low-experienced researchers with themass spectra interpretation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the relative importance of photo-ionization and background ionization from pulsed repetitive discharges in air and nitrogen with 1 ppm O2 was investigated in the presence of both nitrogen and oxygen.
Abstract: Photo-ionization is the accepted mechanism for the propagation of positive streamers in air though the parameters are not very well known; the efficiency of this mechanism largely depends on the presence of both nitrogen and oxygen. But experiments show that streamer propagation is amazingly robust against changes of the gas composition; even for pure nitrogen with impurity levels below 1 ppm streamers propagate essentially with the same velocity as in air, but their minimal diameter is smaller, and they branch more frequently. Additionally, they move more in a zigzag fashion and sometimes exhibit a feathery structure. In our simulations, we test the relative importance of photo-ionization and of the background ionization from pulsed repetitive discharges, in air as well as in nitrogen with 1 ppm O2 .W e also test reasonable parameter changes of the photo-ionization model. We find that photo-ionization dominates streamer propagation in air for repetition frequencies of at least 1 kHz, while in nitrogen with 1 ppm O2 the effect of the repetition frequency has to be included above 1 Hz. Finally, we explain the feather-like structures around streamer channels that are observed in experiments in high purity nitrogen, but not in air. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The experimental observation of the antiblockade in an ultracold Rydberg gas recently proposed by Ates et al is presented and a model based on a pair interaction Hamiltonian is presented which well reproduces the experimental observations and allows one to deduce the distribution of nearest-neighbor distances.
Abstract: We present the experimental observation of the antiblockade in an ultracold Rydberg gas recently proposed by Ates et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 023002 (2007)]. Our approach allows the control of the pair distribution in the gas and is based on a strong coupling of one transition in an atomic three-level system, while introducing specific detunings of the other transition. When the coupling energy matches the interaction energy of the Rydberg long-range interactions, the otherwise blocked excitation of close pairs becomes possible. A time-resolved spectroscopic measurement of the Penning ionization signal is used to identify slight variations in the Rydberg pair distribution of a random arrangement of atoms. A model based on a pair interaction Hamiltonian is presented which well reproduces our experimental observations and allows one to deduce the distribution of nearest-neighbor distances.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the fate of fast electrons (with energies E > 10 eV) in a thermal gas of primordial composition is examined. But the authors do not consider the effects of collisional ionization of hydrogen and helium.
Abstract: We examine the fate of fast electrons (with energies E > 10 eV) in a thermal gas of primordial composition. To follow their interactions with the background gas, we construct a Monte Carlo model that includes: (1) electron–electron scattering (which transforms the electron kinetic energy into heat), (2) collisional ionization of hydrogen and helium (which produces secondary electrons that themselves scatter through the medium) and (3) collisional excitation (which produces secondary photons, whose fates we also follow approximately). For the last process, we explicitly include all transitions to upper levels n≤ 4, together with a well-motivated extrapolation to higher levels. In all cases, we use recent calculated cross-sections at E < 1 keV and the Bethe approximation to extrapolate to higher energies. We compute the fractions of energy deposited as heat, ionization (tracking H i and the helium species separately) and excitation (tracking H i Lyα separately) under a broad range of conditions appropriate to the intergalactic medium. The energy deposition fractions depend on both the background ionized fraction and the electron energy but are nearly independent of the background density. We find good agreement with some, but not all, previous calculations at high energies. Electronic tables of our results are available.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the results from the first radiation-magnetohydrodynamical (RMHD) simulation including ionization feedback, comparing an RMHD model of a 1000 M_sol rotating cloud to earlier radiation gas dynamical models with the same initial density and velocity distributions.
Abstract: Massive stars disproportionately influence their surroundings. How they form has only started to become clear recently through radiation gas dynamical simulations. However, until now, no simulation has simultaneously included both magnetic fields and ionizing radiation. Here we present the results from the first radiation-magnetohydrodynamical (RMHD) simulation including ionization feedback, comparing an RMHD model of a 1000 M_sol rotating cloud to earlier radiation gas dynamical models with the same initial density and velocity distributions. We find that despite starting with a strongly supercritical mass to flux ratio, the magnetic field has three effects. First, the field offers locally support against gravitational collapse in the accretion flow, substantially reducing the amount of secondary fragmentation in comparison to the gas dynamical case. Second, the field drains angular momentum from the collapsing gas, further increasing the amount of material available for accretion by the central, massive, protostar, and thus increasing its final mass by about 50% from the purely gas dynamical case. Third, the field is wound up by the rotation of the flow, driving a tower flow. However, this flow never achieves the strength seen in low-mass star formation simulations for two reasons: gravitational fragmentation disrupts the circular flow in the central regions where the protostars form, and the expanding H II regions tend to further disrupt the field geometry. Therefore, outflows driven by ionization heating look likely to be more dynamically important in regions of massive star formation.