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ionization comparison table
Subject has inverse process has definition
Auger transition A radiationless quantum jump that occurs in the X-ray region. When a K-electron is removed from an atom and an L-electron drops into the vacancy in the K-shell, the energy released in the latter transition goes not into radiation, but into the liberation of one of the remaining L-electrons.
autoionizationdielectronic recombinationA phenomenon occurring when a discrete double-excitation state of an atom lies in the ground-state continuum. In the autoionization process one of the excited electrons is ejected, leaving the ion in an excited state (see dielectronic recombination; see also Auger effect). (also called pre-ionization)
photoionization The ionization of an atom or molecule by the absorption of a high-energy photon by the particle. It is an important source of opacity in stars.
pressure ionization A state found in white dwarfs and other degenerate matter in which the atoms are packed so tightly that the electron orbits encroach on each other to the point where an electron can no longer be regarded as belonging to any particular nucleus and must be considered free.

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