AUGER TRANSITIONS IN SINGLY AND MULTIPLY IONIZED ATOMS

Abstract

— Some recent progress in Auger and autoionizing electron spectrometry of free metal atoms and of multiply ionized atoms is reviewed. The differences which arise between the spectra of atoms in the gaseous and the solid state are due to solid state effects. This will be shown for Cd as an example. The super Coster-Kronig transitions 3p-3d (hole notation) and Coster-Kronig transitions 3p-3d4s have been measured and compared with free-atom calculations for free Zn atoms. The experimental width r(3p) = (2.1 ± 0.2) eV found for the free atom agrees with the value obtained for solid Zn but is considerably smaller than the theoretical value for the free atom. Autoionizing spectra of Na following an L-shell excitation or ionization by different particles are compared and discussed. The nonisotropic angular distribution of electrons from the transition 2p 3s P3/2 -*• 2p + e is compared with theoretical calculations. Two examples for Auger spectrometry of multiply ionized atoms are given : (1) excitation of neon target atoms by light and heavy ions, and (2) excitation of projectile ions Be and B in single gas collisions with CH4. A Strong alignment of the excited atoms has also been found here.