Electron-ion interaction cross sections determined by x-ray spectroscopy on EBIT

The Livermore electron beam ion trap (EBIT) is used to measure electron-ion interactions with high-resolution x-ray spectroscopy. Measurements are presented of the K{alpha} x-ray emission of heliumlike Fe{sup 24+} that demonstrate the effect of various processes on the spectrum of highly charged heliumlike ions. In particular, we have studied how dielectronic recombination into high-n Rydberg levels and resonance excitation processes contribute to the x-ray emission near threshold for direct electron-impact excitation. From these and other measurements we infer the cross sections for impact excitation of heliumlike titanium, chromium, manganese, and iron. Comparing the results with theoretical cross sections from distorted-wave calculations we find excellent agreement for all transitions but the heliumlike resonance transition from 1s2p {sup 1}P{sub 1} to ground, whose excitation cross section is measured to be 10%--20% smaller than calculated. 36 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.