Evidence for interatomic Coulombic decay in Xe K-shell-vacancy decay of XeF₂

R. W. Dunford, S. H. Southworth, D. Ray, E. P. Kanter, B. Krässig, L. Young, D. A. Arms, E. M. Dufresne, D. A. Walko, O. Vendrell, Sang-Kil Son, and R. Santra

[BibTeX][pdf]doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.86.033401

Charge production, charge redistribution, and ion fragmentation are explored in the decay of a Xe K-shell vacancy in XeF₂ . Coincidence measurements of all ionic fragments in XeF₂ provide evidence that an interatomic-Coulombic-decay-like (ICD-like) process plays a role in the cascade decay. The signature of the ICD-like process is an enhancement of the total number of electrons ejected as compared to the case of atomic Xe. The results indicate that the F atoms participate in the decay cascade within the first few femtoseconds after core-hole formation and that fragmentation begins during the decay process.

Tags: ICD, Xe, XeF2, Auger, Coulomb explosion, x-ray, cancer therapy, Argonne, APS, experiment, XATOM, CFEL, DESY