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

TL;DR

This study investigates how environmental factors influence the KLL Auger spectrum of rubidium produced by radioactive decay, revealing that only the absolute transition energies are affected by the environment.

Contribution

First detailed experimental analysis of rubidium's KLL Auger spectrum post-decay, highlighting environmental effects on transition energies and confirming atomic structure influences.

Findings

Environmental effects alter absolute transition energies

Experimental data align with multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock calculations

Spectral components' energies and widths were precisely measured

Abstract

The KLL Auger spectrum of rubidium following the electron capture 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. 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 electron capture decay. Environmental effects on the KLL Auger spectrum were distinctly observed only for the absolute transition energies.