Angular distribution of autoionization and Auger electrons ejected by electron impact from laser-excited and polarized atoms

A general formalism is developed for a description of the angular distribution of electrons ejected after the electron-impact excitation/ionization of the laser-excited and polarized atoms. Properties of the angular distributions are analysed in a general case as well as in some particular geometries of the experiment. Within the two-step approximation the formalism is applied to the resonant single and double ionization with ejection of autoionization and Auger electrons. As an example the angular distributions of autoionization electrons from laser-excited sodium atoms are calculated in the plane-wave and distorted-wave Born approximations. Angular correlations between autoionization and scattered electrons, which can be measured in a coincidence (e,2e) experiment with polarized targets, are also analysed.