Storage ring measurement of the C IV recombination rate coefficient

Abstract

The low energy C IV dielectronic recombination (DR) rate coefficient associated with 2s-2p Delta n=0 excitations of this lithiumlike ion has been measured with high energy-resolution at the heavy-ion storage-ring TSR of the Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik in Heidelberg, Germany. The experimental procedure and especially the experimental detection probabilities for the high Rydberg states produced by the recombination of this ion are discussed in detail. From the experimental data a Maxwellian plasma rate coefficient is derived with 15% systematic uncertainty and parameterized for ready use in plasma modeling codes. Our experimental result especially benchmarks the plasma rate coefficient below 10000 K where DR occurs predominantly via C III (1s2 2p 4l) intermediate states and where existing theories differ by orders of magnitude. Furthermore, we find that the total dielectronic and radiative C IV recombination can be represented by the incoherent sum of our DR rate coefficient and the RR rate coefficient of Pequignot et al. (1991, Astron. Astrophys., 251, 680).