Question

when an electron strikes an atom in a material, the electron's incident energy gets transferred to the atom through a process called absorption. the electron's trajectory dislodges an inner shell electron from the atom, causing a vacancy electron hole in its place. afterwards, another electron from a higher energy shell of the same atom comes down and fills the electron hole. one of the two signals emitted from this energy transition causes an electron from a higher energy shell to be emitted. what is this energy signal called?

Answer 1

The energy signal emitted due to an electron transition that causes another electron to be emitted is called a characteristic X-ray.

Step-by-step explanation:

The energy signal emitted when an electron from a higher energy shell is emitted due to a vacancy filled by another electron is called a characteristic X-ray. This happens when an electron jumps from a higher shell to a lower shell, and emits radiation equal to the energy gap between the shells. A characteristic X-ray is one example of this emission that occurs when an electron falls into an inner-shell vacancy, often leading to the emission of radiation that is representative of the atom's element, due to its distinct energy levels. These characteristic X-rays are labelled as Kα, Kβ, Lα, etc., depending on which shell the electron transitioned from and to.