Thin target L-Shell x-ray production cross sections for protons incident on ₆₂Sm and ₇₀Yb in the energy range of 0.3 to 2.4 MeV/amu, alpha particles incident on ₆₂Sm, ₇₀Yb, and ₈₂Pb in the energy range of 0.15 to 4.8 MeV/amu, and lithium ions incident on ₅₈Ce, ₆₀Nd, ₆₂Sm, ₆₆Dy, ₆₇Ho, ₇₀Yb, and ₈₂Pb in the energy range of 0.8 to 4.4 MeV/amu have been measured. The cross section data have been compared to the planewave Born approximation (PWBA) and the PWBA modified to include binding energy and Coulomb deflection effects. The Lα₁,₂ x-ray production cross sections are best represented by the PWBA modified to include both the binding energy and Coulomb deflection effects (PWBA-BC) over the entire incident ion, incident energy, and target ranges studied. However, the Lγ₁ and Lγ₂,₃,₍₆₎ x-ray production cross sections are best represented by the PWBA except at the lower ion energies, where both the PWBA and PWBA-BC are in disagreement with the data. The comparison of Lα₁,₂/Lγ₂,₃,₍₆₎ ratios to theory reveals that the PWBA-BC does not predict the inflection point substantiated by the data, and the agreement between the data and the PWBA-BC becomes worse as the atomic number of the incident ion increases. Comparison of the PWBA modified to include binding energy effects CPWBA-B) and the PWBA modified to include Coulomb deflection effects (PWBA-C) to the Lα₁,₂, Lγ₁, and the Lγ₂,₃ cross sections for protons, alpha particles, and lithium ions incident on ₇₀Yb indicates that the PWBA-C overestimates the magnitude of the data but does describe the shape of the L₁-associated cross section while the PWBA-B underestimates the magnitude of the data but fails to predict the proper shape of the L₁-associated data. In order to evaluate the ability of the PWBA and the presently accepted modifications to the PWBA to fit the experimental data, future experimentation should be conducted in the energy range that includes the point where the ratio of the incident ion velocity to the L-Shell electron velocity is equal to 0.19 (i.e., V₁/Vₗ = 0.19). This is where the L₁-associated cross sections begin to exhibit the shouldered structure and the cross section ratios L₃/L₁ and L₂/L₁ have inflection points.

Characteristic L-shell x rays of the five rare earths Pr, Sm, Eu, Gd, and Dy were studied in this work. The x rays were produced by ionization from 0.3 to 2.0 MeV protons from the 2.0 MV Van de Graaff at North Texas State University. Total L-shell ionization and x-ray production cross sections were measured for Sm and compared to the BEA, CBEA and PWBA theories. Total L-shell ionization cross sections were measured for Pr, Eu, Gd, and Dy and compared to the BEA, CBEA, and PWBA. The CBEA and PWBA fit the samarium data well for both ionization and x-ray production cross sections. The BEA was generally 40 per cent lower than the data. The CBEA and the PWBA also fit the ionization cross section data for Pr, Eu, Gd and Dy, while the BEA was generally 40 per cent lower than the data.

Charge state dependence of L-shell x-ray production cross sections have been measured for 4-14 MeV ¹⁶O^q (q=3⁺-8⁺) ions incident on ultra-clean, ultra-thin copper, and for 12 MeV ¹⁶O^q (q=3⁺-8⁺) on nickel, zinc, gallium and germanium solid foils. L-shell x-ray production cross section were measured using target foils of thickness ≤0.6 μg/cm² evaporated onto 5 μg/cm² carbon backings. Oxygen ions at MeV energies and charge state q were produced using a 3MV 9SDH-2 National Electrostatics Corporation tandem Pelletron accelerator. Different charge states, with and without K-vacancies, were produced using a post acceleration nitrogen striping gas cell or ¹²C stripping foils. L-shell x-rays from ultra-thin ₂₈Ni, ₂₉Cu,₃₀Zn,₃₁Ga, and ₃₂Ge targets were measured using a Si(Li) x-ray detector with a FWHM resolution of 135 eV at 5.9 keV. The scattered projectiles were detected simultaneously by means of silicon surface barrier detectors at angle of 45° and 169° with respect to the beam direction. The electron capture (EC) as well as direct ionization (DI) contributions were determined from the projectile charge state dependence of the target x-ray production cross sections under single collision conditions. The present work was undertaken to expand the measurements of L-shell x-ray production cross sections upon selected elements with low L-shell binding energies by energetic ¹⁶O^q (q=3⁺,4⁺,5⁺,6⁺,7⁺,8⁺) incident ions. Collision systems chosen for this work have sufficiently large Z₁/Z₂ ratios (0.25-0.28) so that EC may noticeably contribute to the x-ray production enhancement. In this region, reliable experimental data are particularly scarce, thus, fundamental work in this area is still necessary. DI and EC cross section measurements were compared with the ECPSSR and the first Born theories over the range of 0.25 <Z₁/Z₂ < 0.29 and 0.38 < v₁/v₂_L <0.72. The ECPSSR theoretical predictions (including DI and EC) are in closer agreement with the data than the first Born's.

Experimentally measured L-shell x-ray production cross sections are presented for 8-36-MeV oxygen-ion bombardment of Ce, Pr, Sm, Eu, Dy, and Ho; for 4-32-MeV carbon-ion bombardment of La and Yb; for 6-32-MeV carbon-ion bombardment of Pr, Nd, Sm, and Dy; and for ll-29-MeV carbon-ion bombardment of Ce, Eu, Gd, and Ho. Theoretical predictions via the plane wave Born approximation (PWBA) with corrections for increased binding of target electrons and Coulomb deflection of the incident projectile tend to underestimate the experimental data; and this underestimation tends to get worse at the low- and high-energy ends of the range of energies used in this work.

L-shell x-ray production cross sections have been measured for thin targets of 29Cu, 32Ge, 37Rb, 38Sr, and 39Y. M-shell x-ray production cross sections have been measured for thin targets of 79Au, 82Pb, 83Bi, 90Th, and 92U. All targets were irradiated with a beam of H+ ions with energies in a range from 70 to 200 keV. Experimental cross sections are compared to other measurements at higher energies and to first Born (Plane Wave Born Approximation for direct ionization and Oppenheimer-Brinkman-Kramers-Nikolaev approximation for electron capture) and the ECPSSR (Energy loss, Coulomb deflection, Perturbed Stationary State calculations with Relativistic effects) theoretical cross sections.