New Benchmarks from Tokamak Experiments for Theoretical Calculations of the Dielectronic Satellite Spectra of Helium-like Ions
Authors: M. Bitter, M.F. Gu, L.A. Vainshtein, P. Beiersdorfer, G. Bertschinger, O. Marchuk, R. Bell, B. LeBlanc, K.W. Hill, D. Johnson, and L. Roquemore
Date of PPPL Report: August 2003
Published in: Physical Review Letters 91:26 (31 December 2003) 265001-4
Dielectronic satellite spectra of helium-like argon, recorded with a high-resolution X-ray crystal spectrometer at the National Spherical Torus Experiment, were found to be inconsistent with existing predictions resulting in unacceptable values for the power balance and suggesting the unlikely existence of non-Maxwellian electron energy distributions. These problems were resolved with calculations from a new atomic code. It is now possible to perform reliable electron temperature measurements and to eliminate the uncertainties associated with determinations of non-Maxwellian distributions.