Computation of electron-impact K -shell ionization cross sections of atoms

The total cross sections of electron impact single K -shell ionization of atomic targets, with a wide range of atomic numbers from Z=6–50 , are evaluated in the energy range up to about 10 MeV employing the recently proposed modified version of the improved binary-encounter dipole (RQIBED) model [Uddin et al., Phys. Rev. A 70, 032706 (2004)], which incorporates the ionic and relativistic effects. The experimental cross sections for all targets are reproduced satisfactorily even in the relativistic energies using fixed generic values of the two parameters in the RQIBED model. The relativistic effect is found to be significant in all targets except for C, being profound in Ag and Sn.