CO inner-shell excitation studied by electron impact spectroscopy

The inner-shell excitation and decay of the CO molecule have been studied in electron impact experiments. The dipole-forbidden transition (1s sigma(c))(-1)(2p pi) (3)Pi has been characterized by angular resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy and its decay via the measurement of resonant Auger spectra. The contribution of the (1s sigma(c))(-1)(2p pi)(3)Pi state to the CO resonant Auger spectrum in the region of the "spectator transitions" has been isolated and the population of CO+ quartet final states has been observed. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.