Kinetics modeling of Ni-like multiple charged ions

Atomic processes affecting the population kinetics of Ni-like Ag are investigated using a collisional radiative model that includes the Cu-, Ni-, and Co-like ions. The atomic processes, which determine the steady-state ion abundance and detailed level populations, are investigated to determine the population inversion for the X-ray laser application, with several different sets of configurations. The dielectronic processes are considered by including doubly excited and inner-shell-excited states explicitly which allows one to identify the dominant channel of the dielectronic recombination from Co-like to Ni-like, and Ni-like to Cu-like ion. Further, the resonant excitation from ground state to low excited states of Ni-like ion in high-density plasmas (n(e) > 10(20)/cm(3)) is also studied. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.