Deviation of the Kβ /Kα intensity ratio from theory observed in proton-induced X-ray spectra in the 22⩽Z⩽32 region

Abstract

Measurements of I(K beta )/I(K alpha ) for proton-induced X-rays from thin targets in the 22<or=Z<or=32 region confirm a previously suspected systematic discrepancy between experimental data and the theoretical predictions for de-excitation of a single K vacancy in a neutral atom. The present paper is the first proton work to pay specific attention to the KMM radiative Auger satellite and to use a measured resolution function in unfolding K alpha -K beta peak overlaps. A discrepancy is common to electron-, photon- and proton-induced ionisation but sufficient precision is not yet available to reveal any small differences among the three processes, which might arise from differing multiple ionisation.