Polarization analysis of x-ray emission following inner-shell photoionization of highly charged ions

Abstract

The inner-shell photoionization of highly charged ions by polarized beam of incident photons and their subsequent radiative decay are studied within the framework of density-matrix theory and by using the multi-configuration Dirac-Fock approach (MCDF). Final state density matrix has been derived for the system "photoelectron plus ion" with a well defined geometry. This density matrix allows further to evaluate polarization Stokes parameters for the x-ray photons emitted in the radiative decay of the excited ionic states. Detailed polarization calculations have been performed for the 2p53s2p6 radiative transitions following ionization of the 2p electron of the sodiumlike iron Fe15+ and uranium U81+ ions. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.