Nonrelativistic double photoeffect on lithiumlike ions at high energies

The total cross section for double ionization of lithiumlike ions by a high-energy photon is calculated in leading order of the nonrelativistic perturbation theory. The partial contributions due to simultaneous and sequential emissions of two electrons are taken into account. The cross section under consideration is shown to be related to those for double photoeffect on the ground and excited 2^{1,3}S states of heliumlike ions. The double-to-single ionization ratio is equal to R = 0.288/Z^2 for lithiumlike ions with moderate nuclear charge numbers Z. However, even for the lightest three-electron targets such as Li and Be^+, analytical predictions are found to be in good agreement with the numerical calculations performed within the framework of different rather involved approaches.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. to be published in Physics Letters

Observation of Non-isotropic Auger Angular Distribution in the C(1s) Shape Resonance of CO

Angle-resolved high-resolution C(KVV) Auger spectra of CO were taken in the vicinity of the C(1s) σ* shape resonance. These spectra show clear evidence for the theoretically predicted anisotropic K-shell Auger emission in molecules. Complementary results from angle-resolved photoion spectroscopy show that the small size of the observed effect is, besides the varying intrinsic anisotropy of the Auger decay, also due to a smaller anisotropy in the primary absorption process than originally predicted but in good agreement with more recent calculations. Contrary to this, satellite Auger transitions show unexpectedly large anisotropies

High-Resolution Photoelectron Spectrometry Study of Conjugate Shakeup Processes in the Li 1s Threshold Region

Partial cross sections and angular-distribution asymmetry parameters of diagram and satellite lines associated with Li 1s photoionization were measured using synchrotron-radiation excitation. Special emphasis was given to a high-resolution study of the 1P and 3P conjugate shakeup satellite lines testing qualitative predictions of the conjugate shakeup model: increasing σ and decreasing β values towards threshold, both being verified. Comparison with recent relaxed Hartree-Fock calculations shows good agreement for the 1P satellite, but demonstrates also that the present theory does not seem to be able to describe the cross-section behavior of the 3P satellite correctly

Electron-Energy and –Angular Distributions in the Double Photoionization of Helium

Photoelectron spectra of helium have been measured at different angles and at various energies above the double-ionization threshold up to 120 eV to investigate the behavior of the energy and angular distributions, of shake-off electrons. Both energy and angular distributions clearly show a U-shaped profile which turns to a flat curve near threshold pointing to a uniform intensity distribution over the kinetic energy for all angles in this excitation energy regime. Our results for the angular-distribution asymmetry parameter indicate qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions but fail to provide them quantitatively

Observation of Parity-Unfavored Transitions in the Nonresonant Photoionization of Argon

Single-photon ionization of an atom or molecule can be subdivided into parity-favored and -unfavored transitions, the latter characterized by electron emission, preferentially perpendicular to the electric vector. The nonresonant existence of these transitions is shown experimentally and studied over an extended energy range for a variety of satellite transitions in atomic argon. The spectra exhibit several clearly resolved satellite lines with strongly negative β values close to -1, independent of the photon energy. The results confirm the corresponding predictions of angular-momentum transfer theory

Low-Energy Nondipole Effects in Molecular Nitrogen Valence-Shell Photoionization

Observations are reported for the first time of significant nondipole effects in the photoionization of the outer-valence orbitals of diatomic molecules. Measured nondipole angular-distribution parameters for the 3sigmag, 1piu, and 2sigmau shells of N2 exhibit spectral variations with incident photon energies from thresholds to ~200 eV which are attributed via concomitant calculations to particular final-state symmetry waves arising from (E1)[direct-product](M1,E2) radiation-matter interactions first-order in photon momentum. Comparisons with previously reported K-edge studies in N2 verify linear scaling with photon momentum, accounting in part for the significantly enhanced nondipole behavior observed in inner-shell ionization at correspondingly higher momentum values in this molecule

Multiplet-Changing Auger Transitions in Valence Double Photoionization

The decay of valence satellite states in neon above the first double-ionization threshold has been studied experimentally and theoretically. Special emphasis was given to differentiate between two decay modes: valence Auger and valence-multiplet Auger decay. It is shown that the latter process is predominant in the low kinetic energy part of the spectrum. The main structures of this low-energy Auger spectrum could be designated by help of calculated transition energies and decay rates

Evidence for Atomic Processes in Molecular Valence Double Ionization

Complete molecular valence-electron spectra were measured for CO. Unexpectedly, discrete lines at low kinetic energies were found, superimposed on a continuous energy spectrum representing direct double-ionization processes. The appearance of these lines is discussed in the context of the formation of the C++O+ ion pair near its associated threshold at 38.4 eV. It is ascribed to valence-excited repulsive (CO+)* states, which dissociate to a large part rapidly into atomic fragments before electronic relaxation takes place. From our spectra, partial cross sections for the different processes leading to dissociative valence double ionization are derived