Four-particle Dalitz plots to visualize atomic break-up processes

Abstract

We introduce a new method to analyse four-body fragmentation processes, which is basically an extension of Dalitz plots commonly used in particle physics to analyse three-body fragmentation processes. It enables for the first time the presentation of multiple differential cross sections as a function of all four fragments without loss of any part of the total cross section in the integral spectrum. As a first example, the technique is applied to ionization processes in atomic collisions. © 2007 IOP Publishing Ltd.