BINDING ENERGIES OF ELECTRONS IN METALS AND COMPOUNDS.

In a study of the binding energies of outer atomic electrons an accurate measurement of the relative energies of several internal conversion lines was carried out, using a high-resolution beta-spectrometer and radioactive sources embedded in thin films of Al2O3. In particular, the effect of a strong electric field on the relative binding energies of various electron shells was investigated. The electric field was produced in the source region by creating a potential difference across the Al2O3 film, and small relative shifts in the peak positions of the lines were sought. No measurable shift was observed in fields of up to 10 to the 6th power voltscm, and an upper limit has been placed on any such shift as may occur. The X-ray spectrum of uranium was studied, using a germanium solid-state detector and radioactive Pa233 as a source. In the presence of an electric field of 7 x 10 to the 6th power voltscm no change was observed in the energies of the K sub alpha 1, K sub alpha 2, K-M and K-NOP lines, which indicated that contrary to earlier reports there is no large relative change in the binding energies of electrons in the shells concerned. A computer program useful for precision determinations of positions of line peaks in spectrometer data was prepared. Author