K-shell X-ray production in Silicon (Z2 = 14) by (1 ⩽ Z1 ⩽ 53) slow ions

K-shell X-ray emission of Silicon induced by near-Bohr-velocity ions was systematically investigated in collision systems for which the ratio of projectile-to-target atomic numbers (Z1/Z2) ranged from 0.07 to 3.79. The results show that, in asymmetric collisions, the measured K-shell X-ray production cross sections of Silicon fit very well with the predictions of different direct ionization models depending on the atomic number of projectile. In the case of near-symmetric collisions (Z1/Z2 ∼ 1), an obvious enhancement of the X-ray production cross section was observed, which can be attributed to the vacancy transfer within the framework of quasi-molecular model.