Peer-Review Publications

Aims. Within the framework of compact-object accretion disks, we calculate plasma environment effects on the atomic structure and decay parameters used in the modeling of K lines in lowly charged iron ions, namely FeII-FeVIII.Methods. For this study, we used the fully relativistic multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method approximating the plasma electron-nucleus and electron-electron screenings with a time-averaged Debye-Huckel potential.Results. We report modified ionization potentials, K-threshold energies, wavelengths, radiative emission rates, and Auger widths for plasmas characterized by electron temperatures and densities in the ranges 10(5)-10(7) K and 10(18)-10(22) cm(-3). In addition, we propose two universal fitting formulae to predict the IP and K-threshold lowerings in any elemental ion.Conclusions. We conclude that the high-resolution X-ray spectrometers onboard the future XRISM and ATHENA space missions will be able to detect the lowering of the K edges of these Fe ions due to the extreme plasma conditions occurring in the accretion disks around compact objects.

In this paper we derive and discuss the completely spin- and photon-polarization-dependent probability rates for nonlinear Compton scattering and nonlinear Breit-Wheeler pair production. The locally constant field approximation, which is essential for applications in plasma-QED simulation codes, is rigorously derived from the strong-field QED matrix elements in the Furry picture for a general plane-wave background field. We discuss important polarization correlation effects in the spectra of both processes. Asymptotic limits for both small and large values of $ćhi$ are derived and their spin and polarization dependence is discussed.

Generation of terahertz radiation by optical rectification of intense near-infrared laser pulses in N-benzyl-2-methyl-4-nitroaniline (BNA) is investigated in detail by carrying out a complete characterization of the terahertz radiation. We studied the scaling of THz yield with pump pulse repetition rate and fluence which enabled us to predict the optimal operating conditions for BNA crystals at room temperature for 800 nm pump wavelength. Furthermore, recording the transmitted laser spectrum allowed us to calculate the nonlinear refractive index of BNA at 800 nm.

The electron-capture process was studied for Xe54+ colliding with H2 molecules at the internal gas target of the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at GSI, Darmstadt. Cross-section values for electron capture into excited projectile states were deduced from the observed emission cross section of Lyman radiation, being emitted by the hydrogenlike ions subsequent to the capture of a target electron. The ion beam energy range was varied between 5.5 and 30.9 MeV/u by applying the deceleration mode of the ESR. Thus, electron-capture data were recorded at the intermediate and, in particular, the low-collision-energy regime, well below the beam energy necessary to produce bare xenon ions. The obtained data are found to be in reasonable qualitative agreement with theoretical approaches, while a commonly applied empirical formula significantly overestimates the experimental findings.

The on-going developments in laser acceleration of protons and light ions, as well as the production of strong bursts of neutrons and multi-MeV photons by secondary processes now provide a basis for novel high-flux nuclear physics experiments. While the maximum energy of protons resulting from Target Normal Sheath Acceleration is presently still limited to around 100MeV, the generated proton peak flux within the short laser-accelerated bunches can already today exceed the values achievable at the most advanced conventional accelerators by orders of magnitude. This paper consists of two parts covering the scientific motivation and relevance of such experiments and a first proof-of-principle demonstration. In the presented experiment pulses of 200J at ≈500fs duration from the PHELIX laser produced more than 10 12 protons with energies above 15MeV in a bunch of sub-nanosecond duration. They were used to induce fission in foil targets made of natural uranium. To make use of the nonpareil flux, these targets have to be very close to the laser acceleration source, since the particle density within the bunch is strongly affected by Coulomb explosion and the velocity differences between ions of different energy. The main challenge for nuclear detection with high-purity germanium detectors is given by the strong electromagnetic pulse caused by the laser-matter interaction close to the laser acceleration source. This was mitigated by utilizing fast transport of the fission products by a gas flow to a carbon filter, where the γ -rays were registered. The identified nuclides include those that have half-lives down to 39s. These results demonstrate the capability to produce, extract, and detect short-lived reaction products under the demanding experimental condition imposed by the high-power laser interaction. The approach promotes research towards relevant nuclear astrophysical studies at conditions currently only accessible at nuclear high energy density laser facilities.

Resonant Schottky cavity pickups have applications in the measurements of beam parameters in a storage ring. Apart from that they can be used in nondestructive in-ring decay studies of radioactive ion beams. In order to obtain the results of an experiment suitable Data Acquisition System (DAQ) is necessary. Several DAQs were used at Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at GSI based on the different hardware and software solutions such as TCAP or NTCAP. The goal of this work is to design a prototype of a DAQ using open hardware and open source software defined radio (SDR) and conduct the test measurements at ESR.

We present a method to determine the bulk temperature of a single crystal diamond sample at an X-Ray free electron laser using inelastic X-ray scattering. The experiment was performed at the high energy density instrument at the European XFEL GmbH, Germany. The technique, based on inelastic X-ray scattering and the principle of detailed balance, was demonstrated to give accurate temperature measurements, within 8 % for both room temperature diamond and heated diamond to 500 K. Here, the temperature was increased in a controlled way using a resistive heater to test theoretical predictions of the scaling of the signal with temperature. The method was tested by validating the energy of the phonon modes with previous measurements made at room temperature using inelastic X-ray scattering and neutron scattering techniques. This technique could be used to determine the bulk temperature in transient systems with a temporal resolution of 50 fs and for which accurate measurements of thermodynamic properties are vital to build accurate equation of state and transport models.

We propose a setup, based on a periodically driven spin chain, that can realize a high-quality quantum router. We present two protocols, which utilize this setup, that can either generate highly entangled two-qubit states over an arbitrary distance or transfer single-qubit states with high fidelity to any desired location on the chain. In addition, we can execute several protocols at the same time and also store quantum states on the spin chain. Our protocols exploit the effect of coherent destruction of tunneling to control, which spins on the chain couple to each other. This control is acquired by suitably shaping the external driving field. The success of our protocols does not depend on the values of the couplings between the spins as long as they are finite and much smaller than the driving frequency. Our setup is scalable, robust against errors, and may be of practical use for future quantum information technologies.

Quantum electrodynamics (QED) is currently considered to be one of the most accurate theories of fundamental interactions. As its extraordinary precision offers unique scientific opportunities, e.g., search for new physics, stringent experimental tests of QED continue to be of high importance. To this end, highly charged ions represent an exceptional test-bed due to enhanced QED effects. Recently, forbidden transitions in F-like ions have been analyzed to few ppm precision, resolving previous discrepancies between theory and experiment. Here we further test the accuracy of QED calculations with three new (Re, Os, Ir), and two improved (Kr, W) measurements of the P1/22-P3/22 transition energy in F-like ions using the NIST electron-beam ion trap and extreme-ultraviolet and x-ray spectrometers. Good agreement between theoretical and experimental energies is found for all considered elements.

Photoelectron angular distributions of the two-photon ionization of neutral atoms are theoretically investigated. Numerical calculations of two-photon ionization cross sections and asymmetry parameters are carried out within the independent-particle approximation and relativistic second-order perturbation theory. The dependence of the asymmetry parameters on the polarization and energy of the incident light as well as on the angular momentum properties of the ionized electron are investigated. While dynamic variations of the angular distributions at photon energies near intermediate level resonances are expected, we demonstrate that equally strong variations occur near the nonlinear Cooper minimum. The described phenomena is demonstrated on the example of two-photon ionization of magnesium atom.

Multipass high harmonic generation from plasma surfaces is a promising technique to enhance the efficiency of the generation process. In this paper it is shown that there is an optimal distance between two targets where the efficiency is maximized, depending on the laser and plasma parameters. This can be explained by the Gouy phase shift, which leads to the relative phase between the colours being changed with propagation in free space. A simple model is used to mimic the propagation of light from one target to another and to observe this effect in 1D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. The results are also verified using 2D PIC simulations.