X-ray characterization of surfaces irradiated with highly charged ions

Highly charged ions (HCI) approaching, touching or penetrating dielectric surfaces extract many electrons of the solid leading to the formation of permanent surface modifications. The ions which capture the electrons in their outermost shells form hollow atoms which emit X-rays during their decay to the ground state. In this paper one presents experiments showing that these X-rays) allow diagnosing the electric nature of the surfaces. HCI while modifying the structure of surfaces may then also be used to diagnose these changes on line or off line.