Angular distributions of X-rays emitted following L3 ionization of Au atoms by electron impact

•Au Lα and Lβ X-rays emitted isotropically following electron impact.•Angular distribution of Au Ll X-rays exhibits weak anisotropy.•Data was corrected for absorption of the characteristic X-rays within the Au target.

The angular distributions of Au Lα, Lβ, and Ll X-rays at forward angles 0°≤ϕ≤25° emitted following 15 keV electron impact have been measured in order to investigate the degree of induced alignment of the L3 subshell vacancies. After corrections for absorption of the characteristic X-rays within the Au target, our results suggest that the angular distributions of the Lα and Lβ X-rays are essentially isotropic, as no anisotropy was observed in our data outside of experimental uncertainties. However, the results of our experiments suggest that the angular distribution of the Au Ll X-rays may be weakly anisotropic.