Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 21, 2406003 (2026)

Regular Articles

A Laboratory Plasma Experiment for X-Ray Astronomy Using a Compact Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT)
Yuki AMANO1,2), Leo HIRATA2,3), Moto TOGAWA4,5), Hiromasa SUZUKI2,6), Hiroyuki A. SAKAUE7), Naoki KIMURA7), Nobuyuki NAKAMURA2,8), Makoto SAWADA2,9), Masaki OURA10), Jonas DANISCH4), Joschka GOES4), Marc BOTZ4), José R. CRESPO LÓPEZ-URRUTIA4), Hiroya YAMAGUCHI1,2,3)
1)
The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency (JAXA), 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara 252-5210, Japan
2)
RIKEN Pioneering Research Institute, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
3)
Department of Physics, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
4)
Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
5)
European XFEL, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
6)
Faculty of Engineering, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuen Kibanadai-nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192 Japan
7)
National Institute for Fusion Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan
8)
Institute for Laser Science, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
9)
Department of Physics, Rikkyo University, 3-34-1 Nishi-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8501, Japan
10)
RIKEN SPring-8 Center, RIKEN, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
(Received 30 September 2025 / Accepted 14 October 2025 / Published 31 March 2026)

Abstract

We present the basic performance and experimental results of an electron beam ion trap (JAXA-EBIT), newly introduced to the Japanese astronomical community. Accurate atomic data are indispensable for the reliable interpretation of high-resolution X-ray spectra of astrophysical plasmas. The JAXA-EBIT generates highly charged ions under well-controlled laboratory conditions, providing experimental benchmarks for atomic data. The JAXA-EBIT shows performance comparable to the Heidelberg compact EBIT through dielectronic recombination measurements of highly charged Ar ions. Furthermore, we conducted resonant photoexcitation spectroscopy of highly charged ions using the soft X-ray beamline BL17SU at the synchrotron radiation facility SPring-8. As a result, we successfully detected resonance transitions of He-like O6+ and Ne-like Fe16+. These results demonstrate the capability of the JAXA-EBIT for precise measurement of atomic data and show that it serves as a powerful tool for advancing astrophysical research.

Keywords

highly charged ion, electron beam ion trap (ebit), dielectronic recombination, resonant photoexcitation, X-ray astronomy

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.21.2406003

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