EVALUATION OF K-SHELL FLUORESCENCE YIELDS - OBSERVATION OF OUTER-SHELL EFFECTS

A new treatment of series of K-shell fluorescence yields omega , traces systematic differences between those series which have overlapping ranges of atomic numbers Z. From 257 experimental values, which have been corrected for the observed systematic differences, accurate average omega values are obtained for 62 elements (3<or=Z<or=98). The resulting accuracy is about four times better than the accuracy of the empirical omega values previously recommended in the literature. Unknown fluorescence yields may be found by interpolation in a (modified) empirical diagram of omega (Z). Local systematic deviations (of a few per cent) from a three-parameter relation for omega (Z) appear to depend on the outer-shell configuration of the elements concerned.