  It is shown that the geometry of multi-electron threshold ionization in atoms
depends on the initial configuration of bound electrons. The reason for this
behavior is found in the stability properties of the classical fixed point of
the equations of motion for multiple threshold fragmentation. Specifically for
three-electron break-up, apart from the symmetric triangular configuration also
a break-up of lower symmetry in the form of a T-shape can occur, as we
demonstrate by calculating triple photoionization for the lithium ground and
first excited states. We predict the electron break-up geometry for threshold
fragmentation experiments.
