Abstract
The rates of decay, both radiative and non-radiative, have been calculated for the valence shake-up states (vP2)nl of Ne (v=2) and Ar (v=3). The only possible non-radiative decay mode is the valence-multiplet participator Auger transition: (vp2) (LS)nl to (vp2)(L'S')+e-, where energy for ionization is gained through the multiplet change LS to L'S'. When Auger decay is allowed it is found to be completely dominant over the radiative paths, with typical fluorescence yields of the order of 10-4%. Such considerations can be of critical importance in the analysis of direct double-ionization data. The decay rates are calculated within the single-configuration non-relativistic Hartree-Fock approximation. The appearance of Auger spectra resulting shake-up series is discussed and a simple method of modelling is presented.