Double interatomic Coulombic electron capture induced by a single incident electron in two- and three-center atomic systems

Abstract

In the process of interatomic Coulombic electron capture, an incident free electron is captured at an atomic center $A$ and the transition energy is transferred radiationlessly over a rather large distance to a neighboring atom $B$ of different species, upon which the latter is ionized. We consider two-step cascade processes where the electron emitted from atom $B$ is subsequently captured as well, either at center $A$ or yet another atomic center $C$, leading to emission of a second electron from one of the centers. We derive formulas for the cross section of this double interatomic Coulombic electron capture and discuss the relevance of this process, which leads to a substantial rearrangement of the electronic configuration, in various two- and three-center atomic systems.