Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1991

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Physics

Major Professor

Stuart B. Elston

Abstract

Results are presented of doubly-differential (in energy and angle) cross section (DDCS) measurements for production of convoy electrons from 36 MeV/u Ar15+, Ar17+, and Ar18+ ions in thin amorphous carbon foils. The observed electron emissions are fitted to a multipole expansion of the DDCS, frequently employed to characterize ion-atom electron-loss to the continuum (ELC) and electron-capture to the continuum (ECC) cusp shapes. Thinner target data agree reasonably well with ion-atom predictions of component multipole moments, βk. The results also reveal a rapid evolution of βk with increasing target thickness. A quantitative model of the multipole evolution bridging the transition from the single- to the plural-collision regime is presented which demonstrates significant competition between one-step and multi-step production mechanisms. Excellent agreement is found for the first two even-ordered moments, β2 and β4, while the lack of good agreement for the dipole moment, β1, suggests the need to include additional continuum electron transport phenomena.

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