Investigation of the noncharacteristic X-radiation band observed in ar bombardment of various targets

The noncharacteristic X-ray band produced by Ar bombardment of various targets has been investigated with a high-transmission window, gas-flow proportional counter, and Si(Li) detectors. We find (i) that the Ar bombardment of Si produces a continuum with monotonically decreasing intensity for increasing energy, extending from 250 eV to ∼1.2 keV; (ii) Ar-target interactions and Ar-Ar interactions produce distinctly different spectra; (iii) the band observed in the Ar-C system is inconsistent with a simple quasimolecular picture. The bearing of these results on the quasimolecular description is discussed.