AUTOIONIZATION PHENOMENA INVOLVING THE 2P(5)3D CONFIGURATION OF ARGON-LIKE IONS IN IONIC SOLIDS

The photon-induced Auger and photoelectron spectra of the argonlike ions Cl- (in NaCl), K+ (in KCl), Ca2+ (in CaCl2 and CaF2), and Sc3+ (in Sc2O3) have been measured in the vicinity of the L23 absorption edges of these ions. It is shown that at the 2p6 --> 1p(5)3d(4s) resonance a spectator structure appears in the L23M23M23 Auger spectra, which shifts to higher kinetic energies with increasing photon energy. This structure originates from the 3p(-2)3d(4s) final configuration arising as a product of the Auger resonant-inelastic-scattering process of the incident photons. We demonstrate that the peculiarities of this process and the role of the collapsing 3d electron in it can be largely understood in terms of an atomic treatment. The solid-state effects, caused by the crystal field and the lattice polarization, may play an additional role.