A complete set of radiative and Auger rates for K-vacancy states in Fe XVIII–Fe XXV^*

¹ NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
² Centro de Física, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), PO Box 21827, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela

Corresponding author: T. R. Kallman, timothy.r.kallman@nasa.gov

Received: 26 November 2002
Accepted: 17 March 2003

Abstract

A complete set of level energies, wavelengths, A-values, and total and partial Auger rates have been computed for transitions involving the K-vacancy states within the complex of Fe xviii–Fe xxv. Three different standard numerical packages are used for this purpose, namely autostructure, the Breit–Pauli R-matrix suite (bprm) and hfr, which allow reliable estimates of the physical effects involved and of the accuracy of the resulting data sets. The Breit interaction is taken into account because its contributions to the small A-values and partial Auger rates cannot be neglected with increasing electron occupancy. Semiempirical adjustments can also lead to large differences in both the radiative and Auger decay data of strongly mixed levels. Several experimental level energies and wavelengths are questioned, and significant discrepancies are found with previously computed decay rates that are attributed to numerical problems. The statistical accuracy of the present level energies and wavelengths is ranked at ±3 eV and ±2 mÅ, respectively, and that for A-values and partial Auger rates greater than 10¹³ s^-1 at better than 20%.