The K x-ray line structures of the 3d-transition metals in warm dense plasma

The shapes and positions of the Kα1 and Kα2 x-ray lines for 3d-transition metals can vary substantially as electrons are stripped from the outer-shells. This paper shows the detailed line shapes for nickel and zinc, obtained by calculations with a multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock method that includes Breit interaction and quantum electrodynamics corrections. The line shapes can be useful in interpreting hot, dense plasmas with energetic electrons for which the K x-ray lines are optically thin, as may be produced by pulsed power machines such as the plasma-filled rod pinch diode or the plasma focus, or in short-pulsed high power laser plasmas.