Vol. 635
12. Atomic, molecular, and nuclear data

Plasma-environment effects on K lines of astrophysical interest III. IPs, K thresholds, radiative rates, and Auger widths in Fe ix – Fe xvi

X-ray spectroscopy is the primary tool used to achieve an understanding of the inner zones of accretion flows in a wide variety of cosmic sources, particularly neutron stars and black holes. The resonance lines of highly ionized species of iron are among the most important spectral diagnostics available. This paper presents a novel, detailed study of the hitherto neglected ambient effects of plasma screeing and K transition wavelength shifts and thresholds, as well as the reduction in the ionizaton energies, on the interpretation of observations from the high-density environments expected in the inner portions of such flows.