In most high-accuracy x-ray experiments, characteristic radiation is used to determine calibration energies or wavelengths. This paper presents experimental results for vanadium $K\alpha$, and component refitting for scandium, titanium, chromium, and manganese, addressing a critical limitation on the current use of this approach. The influence of spectrometer broadening upon the registration of these calibration profiles is quantitatively discussed and determined. The analysis permits such calibration with insignificant loss of accuracy compared to the reference uncertainty, down to a one part per million level. In the process we reveal key empirical structural trends in $K\alpha$ spectral profiles from $Z=21$ to $Z=25$ which originate from detailed physical processes which are neither well understood nor well evaluated theoretically.

• Received 30 August 2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.73.012508