CHARACTERISTIC X-RAYS AND ELECTRON-ENERGY DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION IN ANISOTROPICAL HOT PLASMAS

Characteristic x-ray lines of heavy ions are used as threshold indicat ors for the number of plasma electrons with an energy higher than the orbital electron binding energy of the initial vacancy for the corresp onding x-ray transition. For heavy ion plasmas the intensity ratio bet ween x-ray lines of a different series shows how the mean energy of th e electron changes with the operating conditions of an electron cyclot ron resonance ion source. With the combination of line intensity and b remsstrahlung measurements, information on the anisotropy of the elect ron energy distribution function is obtained. Characteristic and conti nuous radiation is recorded at the same time and with the same apparat us. Therefore, errors are extremely small. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.