Multielectron spectroscopy: Auger decays of the argon 2p hole

All the different Auger decay paths of Argon 2p holes have been characterized using a time of flight spectrometer of the magnetic bottle type. All electrons (the photoelectron and up to three Auger electrons) are detected in coincidence and resolved in energy. Double Auger decay is shown to proceed either through a direct process or by intense cascade paths, implying highly excited autoionizing Ar2+ states, which are identified as Ar2+ 3s(-2) correlation satellites. Triple Auger decay is also observed and estimated to account for 0.2% only of all Auger decay. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.