Hamburg 2009 – scientific programme

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A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 17: Atomic Systems in External Fields III

A 17.4: Talk

Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 15:00–15:15, VMP 6 HS-C

Correlation function Monte Carlo studies for medium-heavy atoms in neutron star magnetic fields — •Dirk Meyer, Jörg Main, and Günter Wunner — 1. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Stuttgart, 70550 Stuttgart

We present the correlation function Monte Carlo method and apply it to the calculation of excited state energies and transition probabilities of atoms with nuclear charges up to iron (Z = 26) for magnetic field strengths relevant for neutron stars [1].

The method extends the released-phase diffusion quantum Monte Carlo method, which is only suited to the calculation of ground state energies [2], and provides an alternative interpretation of the latter.

The calculations are motivated by the discovery of broad features in the thermal emission spectra of isolated neutron stars, which may be due to transitions in atoms and ions present in the progenitor star. With reliable atomic data for ground and excited states at hand it should be possible to predict spectra of neutron star atmospheres with intense magnetic fields to high accuracy and to compare with the observational results.

[1] M. D. Jones, G. Ortiz, and D. Ceperley, Phys. Rev. E 55, 6202 (1997) [2]S. Bü cheler, D. Engel, J. Main, G. Wunner, Phys. Rev. A 76, 032501 (2007)