Dielectronic recombination of Pb⁷⁹⁺ atomic ions at high spectral resolution

Dielectronic recombination cross sections for Δn=0 transitions in Pb⁷⁹⁺ are calculated in a fully relativistic distorted-wave approximation. We present detailed nlj results for the first resonances associated with the 2s⃗2p̅ (j=1/2) core excitation, which opens up at n=20, and for the first resonances associated with the 2s⃗2p(j=3/2) core excitation, which overlap the 1s²2p̅ nl resonances series. An accurate identification of these peaks is of importance in the ongoing dielectronic recombination experiments for the determination of the 2s-2p threshold energies. Careful examinations of Breit interaction and QED effects are performed in order to calculate the resonance energies with a resolution comparable with present experimental resolution. Fully relativistic calculations for Auger and radiative rates are performed for an accurate determination of the peak heights.