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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/R40814/01
Title: Quantum Chaos & Statistical Theory of Enhancement of Electron Recombination in Multicharged Ions
Principal Investigator: Gribakin, Dr G
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
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Department: Sch of Mathematics and Physics
Organisation: Queen's University of Belfast
Scheme: Fast Stream
Starts: 22 October 2001 Ends: 21 April 2003 Value (£): 55,670
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Scattering & Spectroscopy
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Multicharged ions and collision processes involving them are of great interest in plasma physics, astrophysics, physics of ion storage rings, etc. They are also fundamental objects of atomic physics. Contrary to a naive expectation, the removal of several electrons from a neutral atom does not make the physics of the system simpler. Many-electron multicharged ions possess extremily complex spectra formed by overlapping of hundreds of electron configurations mixed by the residual Coulomb interaction between the electrons. This situation makes realistic computer calculations of these system very difficult, if not altogether impossible, because of the numerical size of the problem. On the other hand, the strong interaction between the electrons drives the system into the realm of quantum chaos, where the configuration mixing is in some sense complete, and one can (and should) use statistical methods to describe the properties of the system. Such a statistical theory should enable one to calculate mean-squared values of matrix elements involving chaotic many-body eigenstates without diagonalising huge Hamiltonian matrices. To implement it we need to determine the characteristics of the eigenstates: the level density, spreading width and mean single-particle occupation numbers. The theory will then be used to calculate energyaveraged resonant electron recombination rates and other parameters for a varity of complex multicharged ions such as Au25+.
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Organisation Website: http://www.qub.ac.uk