M-subshell X-ray production cross sections of Re and Os by electron impact

X-ray production cross sections were experimentally determined for the five M subshells of Re and Os by electron impact. Incident beam energies between 2.5 and 28 keV were used for this purpose, irradiating Re and Os thick targets in a scanning electron microscope. X-ray emission spectra were recorded with an energy dispersive spectrometer, and were processed through a careful parameter optimization routine previously developed. The X-ray production cross sections were then determined through an approach which involves an analytical function predicting the measured spectra through calculations based on the ionization depth distribution function. The results obtained were compared with empirical and theoretical predictions by means of relaxation data taken from the literature.