Interpretation of high-energy X-ray satellites of L2,3emission bands of Na, Mg, Al and Si

Abstract

The high-energy satellite of the L_2,3 X-ray emission band in Na, Mg, Al and Si has for a long time been attributed to the decay of an initial state with two holes in the 2p shell. In particular, the satellite threshold has been assigned to an initial (2p²)¹D state. It has recently been found that X-ray and Auger data give two different values for the energy of this doubly-ionized state, and attempts have been made to interpret this difference in terms of localized valence states. The authors have re-examined the interpretation of the L_2,3, satellite using data on K and L_2,3 satellites, Auger and radiative Auger KLL spectra. It is concluded that the L_2,3 satellite originates from an initial (2p²)³P state, contrary to previous assumptions.