The energy levels, electric dipole transition rates and wavelengths of Cu-like (Au50+) and Zn-like (Au49+) ions were systematically calculated using the multi-configuration Dirac–Hartree–Fock method. The calculations incorporated electron correlation effects between valence-valence, core-valence, and core-core electrons. It was found that electron correlation significantly impacts the excitation energies of the Au50+ and Au49+ ions. In the calculation, the electron correlation configurations are expanded to n = 8 for the Au50+ ion and n = 7 for the Au49+ ion through single and double substitutions, resulting in good convergence for the excitation energy. Additionally, QED effects, Breit interaction, and the finite-nuclear-size effects to the excited states of Au50+ and Au49+ ions are also considered in the calculation. QED effects and the Breit interaction, in particular, were found to have an important influence for the excitation energy. Moreover, the calculated transition energies are in excellent agreement with experimental data, with a deviation of less than 0.078%. These results are expected to be useful for diagnosing high-temperature gold plasmas, particularly in fusion plasma applications.
Graphical Abstract
The calculated transition energies 4s 4p for the Au50+ ion under different models and compared to experimental data.