Abstract
A relative cross section for simultaneous excitation and ionization of the helium atom is derived from the sudden approximation. It is shown to agree with that obtained from the velocity form of the cross section in the Coulomb approximation. It is connected to the asymptotic cross section of Kabir and Salpeter through the cusp condition at the nucleus. An analysis of the influence of ground-state correlations on the asymptotic double-excitation cross section is carried out.