Search for environmental effects on the KLL Auger spectrum of rubidium generated in radioactive decay

Abstract

The KLL Auger spectrum of rubidium following the electron capture (EC) decay of 83 Sr and 85 Sr isotopes was experimentally studied in detail for the first time using one 83 Sr source and three 85 Sr sources in different host matrices. Energies, relative intensities, and natural widths of all the nine well-resolved basic spectrum components were determined and compared with both predictions and experimental data for krypton. The results of our multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock calculations demonstrated an influence of the 'atomic structure effect' on absolute energies of the KLL transitions following the creation of initial vacancies by the EC decay. Environmental effects on the KLL Auger spectrum were distinctly observed only for the absolute transition energies.

The KLM + KLN Auger electron spectrum of rubidium in different matrices

“…The starting approximations were obtained from suitable components of the evaluated spectrum. More details on the approach used can be found, e.g., in [23]. The position, the height, and the width of each fitted spectrum line, the constant background and the width of the spectrometer response function were the fitted parameters.…”

“…However, such data are of considerable importance for basic research as well as for interpretation of weak structures observed in very complex experimental Auger electron spectra. It was, moreover, found in the experimental investigations (see, e.g., [22,23]) that energies of the KLL Auger electrons are a quite sensitive probe of changes in local atomic environment. In [22], the krypton KLL Auger spectrum accompanying the electron capture (EC) decay of 83 Rb incorporated in two different solid hosts (a bulk of a high purity polycrystalline Pt foil and a layer evaporated in vacuum on the same type of Pt foil) was studied.…”

“…In [22], the krypton KLL Auger spectrum accompanying the electron capture (EC) decay of 83 Rb incorporated in two different solid hosts (a bulk of a high purity polycrystalline Pt foil and a layer evaporated in vacuum on the same type of Pt foil) was studied. The KLL Auger spectrum of rubidium from the EC decay of 83 Sr and 85 Sr atoms situated in three different solid matrices (bulks of a high purity polycrystalline platinum and carbon foils and a layer evaporated in vacuum on the same type of carbon foil) was investigated in [23]. This type of information is also important for some present neutrino experiments.…”

“…The 83 Sr and 85 Sr radionuclides were produced by spallation of metallic yttrium by 300 MeV protons from the internal beam of the synchrocyclotron particle accelerator at the JINR, Dubna. A chemical treatment of the irradiated target as well as the preparation of the implanted 83 Sr and 85 Sr sources are described in detail in [23].…”

Auger yield calculations for medical radioisotopes

“…KLL Auger spectrum calculated using the MCDHF method is compared to experimental data from Ref. [42]. Spectral profile of individual component (in solid line) is evaluated from the measured spectrum using the computer code described in Ref.…”