Direct double photoionization

Figure 1.3 Illustration of the two classes of two-electron processes caused by photoionization using magnesium as an example, using, on the left the model-picture of Fig. 1.1 and on the right an energy-level diagram (not to scale) (a) direct double photoionization in the outer 3s shell (b) 2p inner-shell photoionization with subsequent Auger decay where one 3s electron jumps down to fill the 2p hole and the other 3s electron is ejected into the continuum (Auger electron). The wavy line represents the incident photon (which is often omitted in such representations) electrons and holes are shown as filled and open circles, respectively arrows indicate the movements of electrons continuum electrons are classified according to their kinetic energy e.

Figure 4.43 Energy- and angle-resolved triple-differential cross section for direct double photoionization in helium at 99 eV photon energy. The diagram shows the polar plot of relative intensity values for one electron (ea) kept at a fixed position while the angle of the coincident electron (eb) is varied. The data refer to electron emission in a plane perpendicular to the photon beam direction for partially linearly polarized light (Stokes parameter = 0.554) and for equal energy sharing of the excess energy, i.e., a = b = 10 eV. Experimental data are given by points with error bars, theoretical data by the solid curve.

As a first approximation, direct double photoionization will be neglected. This is often justified because the cross section for double photoionization in outer shells, and hence also the corresponding amplitude, is much smaller than the cross section for single photoionization in an inner shell. Therefore, the Auger decay has... 

After these preliminaries, one can introduce the intensity distribution function /s( kjni, kin2) for electron pairs created in the source volume (subscript s ) with kinetic energies kinl and kin2. For direct double photoionization one obtains... 

There are other electron emission processes which lie between such well-defined limiting cases, e.g., resonance affected two-electron emission which lies between direct double photoionization and photon-induced two-step double ionization (photoelectron and Auger electron emission). 

Figure 4.44 Illustration of energy- and angle-resolved two-electron emission following direct double photoionization in helium at 80 eV photon energy using linearly polarized light (electric field vector along the x-axis). Both electrons are detected in a plane perpendicular to the photon beam direction, the direction of one electron (ea) is fixed at a = 180°, = 150° and a = 90° (first, second and third columns in the figure), while...

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