Ionization of heavy inert gases by spin-polarized electrons

In the collision of a spin-polarized electron with an atom, it is only natural to assume that any observed difference between spin-up and spin-down electrons must originate from spin-dependent forces in the interaction. However, it has been known for sometime that, for inelastic electron-atom scattering, a non-zero spin asymmetry can result from the coulomb interaction ignoring spin-dependent forces on the projectile. In this paper, it is demonstrated that the same type of effect may be expected for ionization of the heavier inert gases. Theoretical results are compared with recent unpublished experimental measurements.