Inner-shell double ionization and chemical bonding I. Auger electrons

Abstract

Calculations are presented of the energies involved in the Auger effect for sulphur, aluminium and silicon, and associated with an atomic transition (K-LL) in which one electron from the L shell falls into the K-shell vacancy and a second electron from the L shell is ejected, carrying away the surplus energy. Agreement with the meagre available experimental data is qualitatively good. The whole group of energies varies almost linearly with the oxidation number of the atom, a phenomenon which suggests a possible correlation with chemical bond effects.