X-ray emission in heavy ion collisions: A progress report for the period July 1, 1984 to January 1, 1987

The focus of this research program has been on the investigation of ionization, excitation and electron transfer in fast heavy ion collisions by means of moderately high resolution measurements of the photon radiation emitted during and after the collision process. The wavelength region of interest in these studies extends from the EUV up to x-rays in the keV range. The major objectives of this work were (1) to characterize mechanisms for populating states in highly stripped ions; (2) to identify chemical and environmental (i.e. electron density) influences on transition energies, widths and intensities, and to examine the alignment of few-electron states produced in projectile-foil and projectile-gas interactions. A brief summary of the most noteworthy accomplishments of this program is given. 50 refs., 19 figs., 10 tabs