Electron correlation effects in Auger cascades following 2p(-1)4s excitations in argon - art. no. 032703

Effects of intermediate coupling and configuration interaction on the parti al transition rates, total decay widths, and angular distribution parameter s of the Ar resonant Auger transitions 2p(5)4s-->3s(1)3p(5)4s and of the se cond-step Anger transitions 3s(1)3p(5)4s(P-2(1/2,3/2))-->3p(4) have been st udied both theoretically and experimentally. Transition rates and angular a nisotropies have been calculated for the first- and second-step transitions using the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method. High-resolution spectra of both steps have been measured and used to test different schemes for the d escription of the many-particle states and the existence of possible cohere nce effects in the second-step spectra.