COSTER-KRONIG AND AUGER SPECTRUM OF L1-SHELL OF ARGON

The Coster-Kronig and Auger spectrum of the L1 shell of gaseous argon has been investigated with an electrostatical spectrometer. The ionization in the L1 shell of argon was caused by electron impact. Absolute energies and relative intensities of all the Coster-Kronig and Auger transitions have been determined. The relative intensities of transitions within the groups L1L2, 3M1, L1L2, 3M2, 3 and L1MM agree fairly well with the theoretical values, calculated by Rubenstein for extreme Russel-Saunders coupling, if intermediate coupling theory is used properly. Via the width γ(L1) of the L1 level of argon, found in this experiment to be (1.84±0.2) eV, the following absolute group transition probabilities were determined (in units of 1014 sec-1):W(L1L2, 3M1)=(5.5±1.0), W(L1L2, 3M2, 3)=(20.8±2.8), W(L1MM)=(1.44±0.16). The theoretical values are 21.0, 20.4 and 1.27. The possible reason for the large discrepancy between the experimental and theoretical value of W(L1L2, 3M1) is the use of the incorrect value of 287 eV for the binding energy E(L1) by Rubenstein. From the energies of the L1MM transitions this value has been determined to be E(L1)=(326.5±0.5) eV. This is the first direct measurement of E(L1) of argon. © 1968 Springer-Verlag.