L -shell vacancy production in Ag, Ta and Au for incident ions Z 1 ≦10 in the energy range of 0.125–4 MeV/amu

Absolute Ag, Ta and AuL-shell X-ray cross sections were measured using protons,4He,14N as well as20Ne ions in the energy range of 0.125–4 MeV/amu. By means of single-hole fluorescence yields experimental ionization cross sections were deduced and compared with calculations according to the corrected PWBA model — PWBA(BPCR). With decreasing asymmetry of the collision system the experimental cross sections exceed the predictions of the direct ionization theory. This is caused by an increasing contribution of a competing KL charge exchange mechanism which was investigated in detail for Ne+Ag. The Lapicki and Losonsky capture model was found to fail at energiesE<1 MeV/amu because adiabatic relaxation effects in the projectileK-shell become important. An estimation by means of the Nikitin model led to more physically comprehensible results at the lowest ion velocities investigated.