The Z facility at the Sandia National Laboratories is the most energetic terrestrial source of X-rays and provides an opportunity to produce photoionized plasmas in a relatively well characterised radiation environment. We use detailed atomic-kinetic and spectral simulations to analyze the absorption spectra of a photoionized neon plasma driven by the x-ray flux from a z-pinch. The broadband x-ray flux both photoionizes and backlights the plasma. In particular, we focus on extracting the charge state distribution of the plasma and the characteristics of the radiation field driving the plasma in order to estimate the ionisation parameter.

1.
G.
Ferland
, “
Quantitative spectroscopy of photoionized clouds
,”
Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys.
41
,
517
554
(
2003
).
2.
J. S.
Kaastra
,
R.
Mewe
,
D. A.
Liedahl
,
S.
Komossa
, and
A. C.
Brinkman
, “
X-ray absorption lines in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 discovered with Chandra-LETGS
,”
Astron. Astrophys.
354
,
L83
L86
(
2000
).
3.
J. S.
Kaastra
,
K. C.
Steenbrugge
,
A. J. J.
Raassen
,
R. L. J.
van der Meer
,
A. C.
Brinkman
,
D. A.
Liedahl
,
E.
Behar
, and
A.
de Rosa
, “
X-ray spectroscopy of NGC 5548
,”
Astron. Astrophys.
386
,
427
445
(
2002
).
4.
M.
Sako
,
S. M.
Kahn
,
E.
Behar
,
J. S.
Kaastra
,
A. C.
Brinkman
,
Th.
Boller
,
E. M.
Puchnarewicz
,
R.
Starling
,
D. A.
Liedahl
,
J.
Clavel
, and
M.
Santos-Lleo
, “
Complex resonance absorption structure in the x-ray spectrum of IRAS 13349+2438
,”
Astron. Astrophys.
365
,
L168
L173
(
2001
).
5.
Y.
Krongold
,
F.
Nicastro
,
N. S.
Brickhouse
,
M.
Elvis
,
D. A.
Liedahl
, and
M. S.
Mathur
, “
Toward a self-consistent model of the ionized absorber in NGC 3783
,”
Astrophys. J.
597
,
832
850
(
2003
).
6.
R. C.
Mancini
,
J. E.
Bailey
,
J. F.
Hawley
,
T.
Kallman
,
M.
Witthoeft
,
S. J.
Rose
, and
H.
Takabe
, “
Accretion disk dynamics, photoionized plasmas, and stellar opacities
,”
Phys. Plasmas
16
,
041001
(
2009
).
7.
D. A.
Liedahl
,
S. M.
Kahn
,
A. L.
Osterheld
, and
W. H.
Goldstein
, “
X-ray spectral signatures of photoionized plasmas
,”
Astrophys. J.
350
,
L37
(
1990
).
8.
J. E.
Bailey
,
D.
Cohen
,
G. A.
Chandler
,
M. E.
Cuneo
,
M. E.
Foord
,
R. F.
Heeter
,
D.
Jobe
,
P.
Lake
,
D. A.
Liedahl
,
J. J.
MacFarlane
,
T. J.
Nash
,
D.
Nielson
,
R.
Smelser
, and
W. A.
Stygar
, “
Neon photoionization experiments driven by z-pinch radiation
,”
J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer
71
,
157
168
(
2001
).
9.
R. F.
Heeter
,
J. E.
Bailey
,
M. E.
Cuneo
,
J.
Emig
,
M. E.
Foord
,
P. T.
Springer
, and
R. S.
Thoe
,
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
72
,
1224
(
2001
).
10.
S. J.
Rose
,
P. A. M.
van Hoof
,
V.
Jonauskas
,
F. P.
Keenan
,
R.
Kisielius
,
C.
Ramsbottom
,
M. E.
Foord
,
R. F.
Heeter
, and
P. T.
Springer
,
J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Phys.
37
,
L337
(
2004
).
11.
M. E.
Foord
,
R. F.
Heeter
,
P. A. M.
van Hoof
,
R. S.
Thoe
,
J. E.
Bailey
,
M. E.
Cuneo
,
H. K.
Chung
,
D. A.
Liedahl
,
K. B.
Fournier
,
G. A.
Chandler
,
V.
Jonauskas
,
R.
Kisielius
,
L. P.
Mix
,
C.
Ramsbottom
,
P. T.
Springer
,
F. P.
Keenan
,
S. J.
Rose
, and
W. H.
Goldstein
, “
Charge-state distribution and Doppler effect in expanding photoionized plasma
,”
Phys. Rev. Lett.
93
,
055002
(
2004
).
12.
Y.
Morita
,
H.
Nishimura
,
Y.
Ochi
,
K.
Fujita
,
M.
Fukao
,
M.
Suzuki
,
T.
Kawamura
,
H.
Daido
, and
H.
Takabe
, “
Model calculations and experiments on photoionized plasmas in relevant to laboratory astrophysics
,”
J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer
71
,
519
529
(
2001
).
13.
P. A. M.
Van Hoof
,
M. E.
Foord
,
R. F.
Heeter
,
J. E.
Bailey
,
H. K.
Chung
,
M. E.
Cuneo
,
W. H.
Goldstein
,
V.
Jonauskas
,
F. P.
Keenan
,
R.
Kisielius
,
D. A.
Liedahl
,
C.
Ramsbottom
,
S. J.
Rose
,
P. T.
Springer
, and
R. S.
Thoe
, “
Modeling x-ray photoionized plasmas produced at the sandia z-facility
,”
Astrophys. Space Sci.
298
,
147
153
(
2005
).
14.
D. H.
Cohen
,
J. J.
MacFarlane
,
J. E.
Bailey
, and
D. A.
Liedahl
, “
X-ray spectral diagnostics of neon photoionization experiments on the z-machine
,”
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
74
,
1962
1965
(
2003
).
15.
F.
Wang
,
S.
Fujioka
,
H.
Nishimura
,
D.
Kato
,
Y.
Li
,
G.
Zhao
,
J.
Zhang
, and
H.
Takabe
,
Phys. Plasmas
15
,
073108
(
2008
).
16.
S.
Fujioka
,
H.
Takabe
,
N.
Yamamoto
,
D.
Salzmann
,
F.
Wang
,
H.
Nishimura
,
Y.
Li
,
Q.
Dong
,
S.
Wang
,
Y.
Zhang
,
Y.
Rhee
,
Y.
Lee
,
J.
Han
,
M.
Tanabe
,
T.
Fujiwara
,
Y.
Nakabayashi
,
G.
Zhao
,
J.
Zhang
, and
K.
Mima
,
Nat. Phys.
5
,
821
(
2009
).
17.
E.
Hill
and
S.
Rose
,
Phys. Plasmas
17
,
103301
(
2010
).
18.
J. E.
Bailey
,
G. A.
Rochau
,
R. C.
Mancini
,
C. A.
Iglesias
,
J. J.
MacFarlane
,
I. E.
Golovkin
,
J. C.
Pain
,
F.
Gilleron
,
C.
Blancard
,
Ph.
Cosse
,
G.
Faussurier
,
G. A.
Chandler
,
T. J.
Nash
,
D. S.
Nielsen
, and
P. W.
Lake
, “
Diagnosis of x-ray heated Mg/Fe opacity research plasmas
,”
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
79
,
113104
(
2008
).
19.
I. M.
Hall
,
T.
Durmaz
,
R. C.
Mancini
,
J. E.
Bailey
, and
G. A.
Rochau
,
Rev. Sci. Instrum.
81
,
10E324
(
2010
).
20.
I. M.
Hall
,
T.
Durmaz
,
R. C.
Mancini
,
J. E.
Bailey
,
G. A.
Rochau
,
M. J.
Rosenberg
,
D. H.
Cohen
,
I. E.
Golovkin
,
J. J.
MacFarlane
,
M. E.
Sherrill
,
J.
Abdallah
,
R. F.
Heeter
,
M. E.
Foord
,
S. H.
Glenzer
, and
H. A.
Scott
, “
Modelling, design and diagnostics for a photoionised plasma experiment
,”
Astrophys. Space Sci.
322
,
117
121
(
2009
).
21.
I. M.
Hall
,
T.
Durmaz
,
R. C.
Mancini
,
J. E.
Bailey
, and
G. A.
Rochau
,
Astrophys. Space Sci.
336
,
189
(
2011
).
22.
J. J.
MacFarlane
, “
VISRAD—A 3-D viewfactor code and design tool for high-energy density physics experiments
,”
J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer
81
,
287
300
(
2003
).
23.
J. J.
MacFarlane
,
I. E.
Golovkin
, and
P. R.
Woodruff
, “
HELIOS-CR - A 1-D radiation-magnetohydrodynamics code with inline atomic kinetics modeling
,”
J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer
99
,
381
397
(
2006
).
24.
J. J.
MacFarlane
,
I. E.
Golovkin
,
P. R.
Woodruff
,
D. R.
Welch
,
B. V.
Oliver
,
T. A.
Mehlhorn
, and
R. B.
Campbell
, “
Simulation of the ionization dynamics of aluminium irradiated by intense short-pulse lasers
,” in
Proceedings of Inertial Fusion and Science Applications
(
2003
), p.
457
.
25.
M. F.
Gu
, “
The flexible atomic code
,”
Can. J. Phys.
86
,
675
689
(
2008
).
26.
R. C.
Mancini
,
D. P.
Kilcrease
,
L. A.
Woltz
, and
C. F.
Hooper
, Jr.
, “
Calculational aspects of the Stark line broadening of multi-electron ions in plasmas
,”
Comput. Phys. Commun.
63
,
314
322
(
1991
).
27.
C. J.
Foot
,
Atomic Physics
(
Oxford University Press
,
2005
).
28.
D. E.
Goldberg
,
Genetic Algorithms in Search, Optimization, and Machine Learning
(
Addison-Wesley
,
1989
).
29.
I. E.
Golovkin
,
R. C.
Mancini
,
S. J.
Louis
,
R. W.
Lee
, and
L.
Klein
, “
Analysis of x-ray spectral data with genetic algorithms
,”
J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer
75
,
625
636
(
2002
).
30.
C. B.
Tarter
,
W. H.
Tucker
, and
E. E.
Salpeter
, “
The interaction of x-ray sources with optically thin environments
,”
Astrophys. J.
156
,
943
951
(
1969
).
31.
B.
Remington
,
R. P.
Drake
, and
D. D.
Ryutov
, “
Experimental astrophysics with high power lasers and z pinches
,”
Rev. Mod. Phys.
78
,
755
807
(
2006
).
32.
W. H.
Press
,
B. P.
Flannery
,
S. A.
Teukolsky
, and
W. T.
Vetterling
,
Numerical Recipes
(
Cambridge University Press
,
1992
).
33.
G. J.
Ferland
,
K. T.
Korista
,
D. A.
Verner
,
J. W.
Ferguson
,
J. B.
Kingdon
, and
E. M.
Verner
, “
CLOUDY 90: Numerical simulation of plasmas and their spectra
,”
Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac.
110
,
761
778
(
1998
).
34.
S.
Kaspi
,
W. N.
Brandt
,
H.
Netzer
,
R.
Sambruna
,
G.
Chartas
,
G. P.
Garmire
, and
J. A.
Nousek
, “
Discovery of narrow X-ray absorption lines from NGC3783 with the CHANDRA high energy transmission grating spectrometer
,”
Astrophys. J.
535
,
L17
L20
(
2000
).
35.
S.
Kaspi
,
W. N.
Brandt
,
H.
Netzer
,
I. M.
George
,
G.
Chartas
,
E.
Behar
,
R. M.
Sambruna
,
G. P.
Garmire
, and
J. A.
Nousek
, “
High resolution X-ray spectroscopy and modeling of the absorbing and emitting outflow in NGC3783
,”
Astrophys. J.
554
,
216
232
(
2001
).
You do not currently have access to this content.