Electron-impact ionization of Mg-like ions: S4+, Cl5+, and Ar6+

Absolute electron-impact ionization cross sections were measured as a function of collision energy for ions in the Mg-isoelectronic sequence S⁴⁺, Cl⁵⁺, and Ar⁶⁺. The measurements cover the energy range from threshold to 1500 eV and show onsets due to the indirect ionization process of inner-shell excitation followed by autoionization. The relative magnitude of the indirect ionization process increases dramatically in comparison with the direct process along the sequence, a feature which is also emphasized by earlier data for Al⁺.