Excitation of the lowest P-3(1) and P-1(1) states in argon and xenon by polarized electrons

Recent measurements have been made of the spin up-down asymmetry parameter in argon and xenon using electron-photon coincidence techniques. Values for the integrated Stokes parameters for the light emitted following the excitation of the resonance levels P-3(1) and P-1(1) of argon and xenon by spin-polarized electrons have been obtained. Since these measurements give direct information on spin-orbit coupling effects on the scattered electron we have performed relativistic distorted wave calculations to compare with the experimental data. A full set of state multipoles, necessary for a complete description of the experiments, has been calculated for 20 and 30 eV incident electron energies and is reported here. A comparison of the theoretical and experimental results for the integrated Stokes parameters and the spin asymmetry parameters is presented and discussed.