Interaction with Auger continua as a source of atomic-energy-level shifts

Energy shifts of atomic inner-shell vacancy states caused by interaction with Auger and Coster-Kronig continua are considered. Numerical calculations for the L shell show that L₂- and L₃-subshell-energy shifts due to this effect are negligible, while the L₁-level shift is substantial (~-4 eV for $30<~Z<~47$). This [$2s$] vacancy-state shift is dominated by the interaction with [LM]εl Coster-Kronig continua and brings ab initio self-consistent-field calculations into satisfactory agreement with experiment, for atoms lighter than Sn. For atomic numbers above Z50, discrepancies remain that may be results of errors in quantum-electrodynamic corrections.