Many-electron effect in the resonant L23-M23V Auger-electron spectrum of Ti metal

Above the L23 absorption edge the L23-M23V resonant Auger-electron spectroscopy (RAES) spectrum of Ti metal shows a normal L23-M23V Auger decay spectrum at a constant kinetic energy (K.E.). Here LX and MY are the atomic shells Lx and My, respectively. Apart from a weak spectral feature of the L2-M23V Auger transition appearing around the L2 edge, the RAES spectra of Ti meal show a very little difference between the L2 and L3 regions [P. Le Fèvre, J. Danger, H. Magnan, D. Chandesris, J. Jupille, S. Bourgeois, M.-A. Arrio, R. Gotter, A. Verdini, A. Morgante, Phys. Rev. B69 (2004) 155421]. It is shown that the time scale of relaxation of the resonantly excited L23-hole state to the L23-electron ionized state is much shorter than that of the L23-hole decay so that the L23-M23V RAES spectrum of Ti metal resembles much the normal L23-M23V Auger decay spectrum. The relaxation of the resonantly excited L23-hole state to the fully relaxed L23-hole state before the L23-hole decays, explains the extra width which is the primary cause of the discrepancy between the experimental high resolution near edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) spectrum of Ti metal and the one calculated by the particle-hole Green's function including the Coulomb exchange interaction between the 2p hole and the 3d electron. The time scale of relaxation of the L3V two-hole state created by the L2-L3V Coster-Kronig (CK) decay to the single L3-hole state is much shorter than that of the L3-hole decay so that the L2-L3V-L3-M23V CK preceded Auger decay spectrum resembles much the L3-M23V Auger decay one.