Dielectronic recombination (DR) is a key atomic process that affects the spectroscopic diagnostic modeling of tungsten, most of whose ionization stages will be found somewhere in the ITER fusion reactor: in the edge, divertor, or core plasma. Accurate DR data are sparse while complete DR coverage is unsophisticated (e.g., average-atom or Burgess General Formula), as illustrated by the large uncertainties that currently exist in the tungsten ionization balance. To this end, we present a series of partial final-state-resolved and total DR rate coefficients for ${\text{W}}^{73+}$ to ${\text{W}}^{56+}$ tungsten ions. This is part of a wider effort within The Tungsten Project to calculate accurate dielectronic recombination rate coefficients for the tungsten isonuclear sequence for use in collisional-radiative modeling of finite-density tokamak plasmas. The recombination rate coefficients have been calculated with autostructure using $\kappa \text{-averaged}$ relativistic wave unctions in level resolution (intermediate coupling) and configuration resolution (configuration average). Comparison with previous calculations of total DR rate coefficients for ${\text{W}}^{63+}$ and ${\text{W}}^{56+}$ yield agreement to within 20% and 10%, respectively, at peak temperature. It is also seen that the Jüttner correction to the Maxwell distribution has a significant effect on the ionization balance of tungsten at the highest charge states, changing both the peak abundance temperatures and the ionization fractions of several ions.

• Received 20 December 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.93.042703

This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society