Abstract
Ultrahigh-resolution (436-eV full width at half-maximum at 14.4 keV) Ge(Li) and Si(Li) x-ray detectors have been used to investigate L x rays of Bi from the decay of carrier-free Pb210 (RaD). A detailed study of the detection efficiencies was carried out, in order to take into account effects due to Ge K x-ray escape, and absorption in layers of inactive Ge or Si, Au, Al, and Be present between the source and active detector volume. A DuPont curve-resolving analog computer was used to resolve the L x-ray spectrum into further components. The resolved spectra thus yielded 10 L x-ray groups, together with their absolute intensities in Pb210 decay. Combining these results with recent precision L-conversion and L Auger electron absolute intensities in this decay, the following set of L-subshell fluorescence yields (ωi), Auger yields (ai), and Coster-Kronig transition probabilities (fij) are obtained: ω¯L=0.330±0.016, ω3=0.345±0.018, and ω1=0.095±0.005; a¯L=0.670±0.016, a3=0.655±0.018, and a1=0.133±0.009; and f12+f13=0.772±0.011. Using the recent value of f23=0.164±0.016 at Z=82, determined by Rao et al., the following additional quantities are evaluated: ω2=0.23±0.02, a2=0.61±0.02, f12=0.18±0.02, and f13=0.58±0.02. A remarkably strong E2 L x-ray transition (L1M4,5) also was observed in the decay of Pb210 (RaD).