Vacancy transfer to the K shell in very heavy quasi-molecules studied with highly charged, decelerated heavy ions

The total K-excitation cross section has been measured over a wide range of projectile charge states q for the very heavy collision systems ₅₄Xe^q+ to Xe(Z₁+Z₂=108) at 2.2 and 3.6 MeV u^-1 and for ₆₂Sm^q+ to Xe(Z₁+Z₂=116) at 3.6 and 4.7 MeV u^-1. High projectile charge states corresponding to up to N-like ions were used and single collision conditions in the gas target were applied. Coupling cross sections for the L to K and M to K vacancy transfer within the very heavy quasi-molecule-derived from the variation of the K X-ray emission-are reported. The role of rotational vacancy transfer in these relativistic quasi-molecules is discussed.