Abstract. We analyse the recoil-to-binary (RB) peak intensity ratio in an energetic (e, 2e) reaction performed on the valence ns sub-shell of noble gas atoms away from the Bethe ridge condition. A qualitative change in the RB ratio dependence on the ejected electron energy from He to Ar can be explained by the variation of reflectivity of the short-range Hartree–Fock potential. The reflectivity increases profoundly from lighter (He) to heavier (Ne and Ar) noble gas atoms because of modification of the scattering phases due to occupation of the target p orbitals (Levinson–Seaton theorem). This effect is further modified due to strong inter-shell correlations in Ar. These theoretical predictions are confirmed experimentally.

Print publication: Issue 16 (28 August 2009)
Received 27 May 2009, in final form 30 June 2009
Published 27 July 2009