Double K-shell photoionization of neon

Double K-shell photoionization of Ne at 5000 eV was observed by recording the KK-KLL Auger-electron hypersatellite spectrum. The measured Auger spectrum is compared with the results of multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock calculations. Shake calculations are used to identify likely multivacancy states produced by photoexcitation or ionization in addition to double-K vacancies, and their calculated Auger spectra are compared with the measured spectrum. The measured relative intensities of hypersatellite and diagram Auger lines are combined with experimental and theoretical determinations of branching ratios from single- and double-K vacancies into final states to determine the ratio of double-to-single K-shell photoionization cross sections to be 0.32(4)%. This ratio is much larger than the calculated high-energy-limit ratio and indicates a large contribution of dynamic electron correlation.