부산대학교 도서관

Over the past twenty years significant progress has been made in calculating the vast amounts of relativistic atomic data that are required to model heavy element, non-LTE plasmas. A number of the relevant processes, including electron-impact excitation, photoionization, autoionization and electron-impact ionization, involve the computation of continuum electron wavefunctions. If the plasma consists of ions with sufficiently high charge, then the distorted-wave approximation is valid and can be used to compute these continuum orbitals and the corresponding cross sections. An overview of the relativistic distorted-wave approach is provided with an aim toward underscoring the similarities and differences with the longer established, nonrelativistic and semi-relativistic approaches. An example for extending the distorted-wave approach to less highly charged systems via the inclusion of resonance contributions to the cross sections is provided. Related topics, such as the top-up contribution, the high energy (Bethe) cross section limit, the Breit and Møller interactions, and transitions among magnetic sublevels are also discussed. © 2004 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]