Decay pathways after Xe 3d inner shell ionization using a multi-electron coincidence technique

Cascade Auger electron emission following Xe 3d photoionization has been investigated using a multi-electron coincidence technique, which utilizes an electron spectrometer of magnetic bottle type. It has been found that the Xe2+ states of the 4p-14d-1 configuration, formed by the Auger decay of the Xe+ 3d3/2,5/2-1 states, dominantly turn into triply charged states of the 4d-25p-1/4d-25s-1 configurations. The Xe2+ 4s-14d-1 states, formed by the 3d Auger decay, yield the 4p-14d-15p-1 states as well as the 4d-3 states. From the coincidence spectrum among three Auger electrons, it is suggested that the Xe2+ 4p-14d-1 states give rise to the following cascade processes: 4p-14d-1 → 4d-25p-1 → 4d-15p-3.