Question: what is the difference between k alpha 1 and k alpha 2?
Answer: The K-alpha1 emission is higher in energy and thus has a lower wavelength than the K-alpha2 emission. A larger number of electrons follow the K-alpha1 transition (L3 → K) relative to the K-alpha2 (L2 → K) transition which causes the K-alpha1 emission to be more intense than K-alpha2.