CALCULATION OF THE (E,2E) DIFFERENTIAL CROSS-SECTIONS IN THE VICINITYOF AUTOIONIZING STATES FOR THE ELECTRON-IMPACT IONIZATION OF CADMIUM

The process of electron-impact ionization of atoms, normally called (e ,2e), has been studied for three decades. Most of this work has concen trated on energies far from autoionization resonances. However, for el ectron energies corresponding to an autoionization resonance, it is no t possible to distinguish electrons that have been ejected directly fr om the atom from those that were first excited to an autoionizing leve l and subsequently ejected. As a result, these two processes will inte rfere and the interference can potentially be sensitive to different p hysical effects from the normal (e,2e) process far from resonances. In this paper, we will examine (e,2e) for cadmium in the energy range of autoionizing levels. First-order distorted-wave results will be compa red with recent measurements.