Generalized oscillator strengths for inner-shell excitation of SF6 recorded with a high-performance electron energy loss spectrometer

The generalized oscillator strength profiles for S 2p, S 2s and F 1s excited and ionized states of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) are reported up to very high momentum transfer. These have been measured with a variable impact energy, variable scattering angle electron energy loss spectrometer, which is dedicated to studies of electric dipole (optically allowed) and non-dipole (optically forbidden electric quadrupole and spin-exchange) inner shell electronic transitions of gases, and systematic measurements of their angular and impact energy distributions in order to derive generalized oscillator strength profiles. In addition to presenting the SF6 results, we describe the design, construction and performance of the instrument, as well as data acquisition and analysis procedures.