Cascade decays of hollow ions.

Abstract

A multiple-electron-emission process for atoms with one or more inner-shell vacancies is treated using the radiative- and Auger-electron-emission cascade model, in which inner-shell holes are assumed to decay by sequentially emitting radiations and/or Auger electrons. Such hollow ions are produced by synchrotron irradiation of atomic targets and in ion-surface interactions with multiple-electron transfers. The final charge-state distribution is determined by the Auger and radiative branching ratios at each stage of the decay sequence. At intermediate stages of cascade, hollow ions with more than one hole in different ionization stages are created. The Ne, Mg, and Fe{sup 14+} ions with the initial 1{ital s}, 2{ital s}, and 2{ital p} vacancies are considered in detail, and the core charge dependence of the maximum charge state is studied. The hollow Mg ion with double initial 1{ital s} holes is analyzed, and the result compared with that for the case of one 1{ital s} hole. The peak is shifted more than two units to a higher degree of ionization. The correlated shake-off and shake-up multiple-electron processes are not considered, but they are expected to cause further shifts.