  A comprehensive study of high-accuracy photoionization cross sections is
carried out using the relativistic Breit-Pauli R-matrix (BPRM) method for (hnu
+ Fe XVII --> Fe XVIII + e). Owing to its importance in high-temperature
plasmas the calculations cover a large energy range, particularly the myriad
photoexciation-of-core (PEC) resonances including the n = 3 levels not
heretofore considered. The calculations employ a close coupling wave function
expansion of 60 levels of the core ion Fe XVIII ranging over a wide energy
range of nearly 900 eV between the n = 2 and n = 3 levels. Strong coupling
effects due to dipole transition arrays 2p^5 --> 2p^4 (3s,3d) manifest
themselves as large PEC resonances throughout this range, and enhance the
effective photoionization cross sections orders of magnitude above the
background. Comparisons with the erstwhile Opacity Project (OP) and other
previous calculations shows that the currently available cross sections
considerably underestimate the bound-free cross sections. A
level-identification scheme is used for spectroscopic designation of the 454
bound fine structure levels of Fe XVII. Level-specific photoionization cross
sections are computed for all levels. In addition, partial cross sections for
leaving the core ion Fe XVII in the ground state are also obtained. These
results should be relevant to modeling of astrophysical and laboratory plasma
sources requiring (i) photoionization rates, (ii) extensive
non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium models, (iii) total unified electron-ion
recombination rates including radiative and dielectronic recombination, and
(iv) plasma opacities. We particularly examine PEC and non-PEC resonance
strengths and emphasize their expanded role to incorporate inner-shell
excitations for improved opacities, as shown by the computed monochromatic
opacity of Fe XVII.
