Comparison of the PCI distortion effects on the Auger lineshape for electron and photon impact ionization

The distortion effects of the post-collision interaction (PCI) on the Ar LMM Auger electron lineshape for electron and photon impact ionization have been calculated. The calculations were based on the eikonal model of Kuchiev and Sheinerman [Sov. Phys. - Tech. Phys. 32 (1987) 879]. It is shown that the Auger peak asymmetry depends on the emission angle of the Auger electron relative to the primary beam (and the polarization vector of the photon beam). At a given excess energy, defined as the difference between the impact energy and the binding energy, the absolute value of the Auger peak asymmetry is always larger for electron impact ionization than for photoionization. At the same time, the angular dependence of the PCI distortion is stronger for photoionization. In both cases the Auger peak asymmetry has a maximum when the energy of the ejected electron and that of the Auger electron are nearly equal. The calculations are in good agreement with our previous experimental results.