Auger electron spectroscopy of molecules: Theory for angular and spin correlations with photoelectrons

Abstract

This paper introduces a theory to interpret future experiments to simultaneously observe angular distribution of spin-resolved Auger and photoelectrons from a molecule belonging to one of the 32 point groups. The Auger electrons are emitted in the decay of the vacancy created by photoionization. We show that the desired correlation can be completely characterized by 12 parameters which are coefficients of trigonometric functions of the spherical angles of spin quantization directions of two outgoing electrons. The expressions for the parameters themselves, although reduced to the simplest possible forms by using the symmetry properties of the molecular point group to maximum advantage, depend upon bipolar harmonics involving the propagation directions of the Auger and photoelectrons. The angular and spin correlation function thus obtained is completely general and can be readily specialized to any experimental geometry used to observe the ejected electrons. In particular, it is found that for a linear experimental arrangement with spins oriented longitudinally to the respective propagation vectors of the two electrons moving out in opposite directions, the parameters become geometry independent with their number reducing to three, which are now coefficients of the first three Legendre polynomials. Correlation between the spin-quantization directions of Auger and photoelectrons is, on the other hand, described by six parameters which do not depend upon the experimental arrangement. Directional correlation between the two outgoing electrons has also been studied without observing their spins. These angular and/or spin correlation functions are shown to take particularly simpler forms for Auger and photoelectrons emitted from linear molecules. We have applied the procedures developed in this paper to study directional correlation between photoelectrons from 2a1 orbital in a Td molecule and the Auger electrons emitted in the decay of the consequent vacancy.