The K-shell ionization of atoms by relativistic electrons

The theoretical investigation carried out by Arthurs and Moiseiwitsch (1958) has been extended to higher energies and to atoms with greater nuclear charge Z. Allowance for the difference between the theoretical and experimental ionization energies arising from the potential field of the electrons in the outer shells is made using a similar procedure to that due to Perlman (1960). The authors have calculated K-shell ionization cross sections as functions of the electron impact energy for C, Al, Ni, Cu, Ag, Sn, Au and compared their theoretical curves with the available experimental data, the accordance being somewhat variable.