Some new effects seen in the passage of swift ion clusters through solids

Abstract

Distributions in angle and in energy have been measured for ions transmitted through thin solid targets bombarded by various molecular-ion beams. The results, which differ markedly from those expected on the basis only of a simple "Coulomb explosion", indicate the existence of an additional force tending to align the internuclear vectors of each cluster with the beam direction. An explanation is suggested in terms of a potential attributable to the plasma oscillations generated by the particles as they traverse the solid. Calculations are presented to substantiate this idea. © 1976.