Considerations about projectile and target X-rays induced during heavy ion bombardment

In this work we present some results concerning the X-rays emitted by heavy ions during target bombardment. In this case, Cl4+ and Cl5+ ions with energies from 4 MeV to 10 MeV were employed to irradiate vitreous carbon planchets. Moreover, total X-ray production cross sections of titanium X-rays induced by chlorine ions were obtained as well for the same energy range. Only inner shell transitions were considered in the present work. The titanium target consisted of a thin film deposited over vitreous carbon planchets. The results indicate that the projectile X-ray yields increase as a function of the bombarding energy for the present energy range. Effects due to projectile charge state appears to be of minor importance at these low ion velocities. It is shown that a simple exponential function can represent the continuum background of such complex spectra. The chlorine transition rates Kβ/Kα obtained from chlorine acting as a projectile interacting with a carbon target are about half the value when compared to the chlorine Kβ/Kα ratios obtained when a LiCl target is bombarded with C+ and C3+ ions with energies from 2 MeV to 6 MeV. As far as the total X-ray production cross sections of Ti induced by chlorine ions are concerned, the ECPSSR theory underestimates the Ti total X-rays production cross sections by several orders of magnitude. The role of electron capture and possible mechanisms responsible for these effects are discussed.