Cooper minima in high-Z atoms: Effects of correlation and relativity on np photoionization

Abstract Photoionization dipole transition matrix elements pass through a zero or attain a minimum that leaves imprints on photoionization parameters like the cross-section, angular distribution asymmetry parameter, phase shift, and photoionization time delay. This minimum is commonly known as the ‘Cooper minimum’ (CM). The CM, in general, is strongly affected by relativistic and correlation effects. Previous works investigated CM in the 6 p and 5 p subshell photoionization up to Z = 100 using the single-particle Dirac-Slater (DS) method. The present work extends the earlier work to Z up to 120 using more accurate methods; Dirac–Hartree–Fock (DHF) which includes the relativistic effects and exchange correlations, and the relativistic random phase approximation (RRPA) which includes both initial and final state electron-electron correlations along with relativistic effects. In addition to the study of photoionization from the 6 p and 5 p subshells, the 4 p subshell has also been investigated in the present work. To demonstrate the prominent effects in the high-Z atoms, Rn ( Z = 86), Ra ( Z = 88), No ( Z = 102), Cn (Z = 112), Og ( Z = 118), and Ubn ( Z = 120) are investigated.