Auger effect

<p>The Auger effect  or Meitner-Auger is a physical phenomenon in which <a href="/facts/Atom/69syB8dH">atoms</a> eject <a href="/facts/Electrons/L0KBo5cW">electrons</a>. It occurs when an <a href="/facts/Inner-shell_electrons/LQuGLKcG">inner-shell</a> vacancy in an <a href="/facts/Atom/69syB8dH">atom</a> is filled by an electron, releasing energy that causes the emission of another electron from a different shell of the same atom.
</p><p>When a <a href="/facts/Core_electron/LQuGLKcG">core electron</a> is removed, leaving a vacancy, an electron from a higher energy level may fall into the vacancy, resulting in a release of <a href="/facts/Energy/wd8PrQM7">energy</a>. For light atoms (Z<12), this energy is most often transferred to a valence electron which is subsequently ejected from the atom. This second ejected electron is called an Auger electron. For heavier atomic nuclei, the release of the energy in the form of an emitted <a href="/facts/Photon/mFNhAEzA">photon</a> becomes gradually more probable.
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Auger effect open-in-new

Auger effect