X-ray emission spectra induced by hydrogenic ions in charge transfer collisions

Theoretical models are constructed of the hard x-ray spectra resulting from electron capture by fully stripped Ne¹⁰⁺ ions traversing the gases Ne, He, H₂, CO₂, and H₂O. The measured spectra are superpositions of individual lines of Ne⁹⁺. An exact description of the radiative cascade is used. Initial excited populations that reproduce the measured spectra are derived and quantitative predictions of the energies and intensities of lines in the soft x-ray and extreme ultraviolet regions are made. These lines when observed will be powerful diagnostic probes of the capture mechanism and of the diverse range of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas in which it occurs.