Molecular emission spectra in the soft X-ray region

Spectra from several chlorine-containing hydrocarbon molecules excited to x-ray fluorescence have been recorded by a double crystal spectrometer with high resolving power. This study focuses on the region near the occurrence of the transition Kbeta(1,3) (1s(-1)-->3p(-1)) in chlorine. Whereas the free atom spectrum (from a single vacancy process) consists of an unresolved spin-orbit doublet, e.g., in argon, the molecular spectra often contain several lines. In free atom spectra and in molecular spectra also, there are extra lines or unresolved multiplets (satellites) due to multiple vacancy processes. In this report, these satellite lines are experimentally sorted out of the spectra and the remaining emission peaks associated with possible final state configuration containing a vacancy, i.e., the electronic terms of the molecule.