Multiple-ionization channels in proton-atom collisions

A detailed investigation of multiple ionization of He (ionization charge states q = 1,2), Ne (q = 1--3), and Ar and Kr (q = 1--4) is presented for proton impact energies ranging from 10 keV to a few MeV. Absolute cross sections for various ionization pathways have been obtained by combining some new measurements with previously published experimental results and, in certain cases, with existing theoretical information. It is shown how each of these pathways contribute to the various stages of target ionization that are observed after the collision and how these experimentally measured quantities are related to the cross sections for initial inner- and outer-shell vacancy production. Areas where additional data are required or where the existing data are not internally consistent are pointed out. In general, it is shown that the existing data are sufficient to describe the ionization of helium as well as the lower levels of ionization of neon, argon, and krypton. However, for the higher degrees of ionization, particularly for Kr, our understanding is hampered by substantial gaps in the available inner-shell ionization data: both in cross-section and branching-ratio information. Nevertheless, the data are sufficient to indicate the relative importance of the various pathways. For all targets, direct multiple outer-shell cross sections were extracted. Analyzing the energy dependences of these cross sections provided some hints as to how to calculate multiple-ionization cross sections, e.g., information as to where the multiple ionization is dominated by the first-order or by a higher-order term in the perturbation expansion of the proton-target interaction is obtained