Auger effect

[oh-zhey]

noun Physics.

a nonradiative process in which an atom in an excited state undergoes a transition to a lower state by the emission of a bound electron (Auger electron) rather than by the emission of an x-ray.

Origin of Auger effect

1930–35; named after Pierre V. Auger (born 1899), French physicist

Also called autoionization.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for auger-electron

Auger effect

noun

the spontaneous emission of an electron instead of a photon by an excited ion as a result of a vacancy being filled in an inner electron shell

Word Origin for Auger effect

C20: named after Pierre Auger (1899–1993), French physicist

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