https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e20020034
Dynamics of ionization mechanisms in relativistic collisions involving heavy and highly-charged ions
1
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California
at Berkeley, M.S. 71-259, 1 Cyclotron Rd., Berkeley, CA 94720,
USA
2
Division of Physics, Gesellschaft für
Schwerionenforschung, Planckstr. 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
3
Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität
Dresden, Mommsenstr. 13, 01062 Dresden, Germany
Corresponding author: a d.c.ionescu@gsi.de
Received:
26
June
2001
Revised:
27
November
2001
Published online: 15 March 2002
The dynamics of mechanisms associated with the ionization of inner-shell electrons in relativistic collisions involving heavy and highly-charged ions is investigated within a nonperturbative approach formulated explicitly in the time domain. The theoretical treatment is based on the exact numerical solution of the time dependent Dirac equation for two Coulomb centers on a lattice in momentum space. We present results for ionization in encounters between 100 MeV/u Au79+ projectile ions impinging on a hydrogen-like uranium target. By directly visualizing the collision dynamics we identify a new ionization mechanism in which electrons are emitted from the internuclear region preferentially in the transverse direction with respect to the projectile trajectory. A striking characteristic of this ionization mechanism is that the velocity of the electron is higher than the projectile velocity.
PACS: 34.50.Fa – Electronic excitation and ionization of atoms (including beam-foil excitation and ionization) / 34.10.+x – General theories and models of atomic and molecular collisions and interactions (including statistical theories, transition state, stochastic and trajectory models, etc.)
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2002
