LAUSR

Abstract The angular distribution of Auger electron following photoionization in Xe atom is investigated using the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) method and the density matrix theory. The alignment parameters of residual ions produced by the np 3 / 2 ( n = 2 − 5 ) and md 3 / 2 , 5 / 2 ( m = 3 , 4 ) sub-shell photoionization and the anisotropic angular parameters of Auger electron for different transition channels are calculated using our modified relativistic program, based on the RATIP package. The relationships of the angular distribution of Auger electron and the alignments of the core-ionized atomic states are given. The influences of the multipole radiation field, the Breit interaction, and the electron exchanged interaction on the photoionization and subsequent Auger decay processes are discussed. Our results show that the alignment parameters of the residual ions and the angular distribution of Auger electrons are strongly related to the atomic shell, yet they show a low sensitivity to the Breit interaction and the electron exchange effect. This work is of significance to the experimental study of photoionization induced Auger electrons.