Forward-backward asymmetries of atomic photoelectrons.

When atomic photoionization is treated beyond the dipole approximation, photoelectron angular distributions are asymmetric forward and backward with respect to the direction of the photon beam. We have measured forward-backward asymmetries of Ar 1s and Kr 1s and 2s photoelectrons using 2-19 keV x-rays. The measured asymmetries compare well with calculations which include interference between electric-dipole and electric-quadrupole amplitudes within the nonrelativistic, independent-particle approximations.