Astronomy   View all facts   Glossary   Help | 
| physical phenomena > event > atomic process > ionization > autoionization | 
| autoionization comparison table | |||
| Subject | has inverse process | is a kind of | has definition | 
|---|---|---|---|
| ionization | atomic process | Loss or gain by an atom of one or more electrons, by which process the atom becomes an ion and instead of being neutral, has a charge: positive if it has lost an electron, negative if it has gained one. High temperature is particularly conducive to ionization. | |
| autoionization | dielectronic recombination | ionization | A 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) | 
Next ionization: photoionization     Up: ionization    Previous ionization: Auger transition