Electron Production in Proton Collisions: Total Cross Sections

Authors

M. Eugene Rudd, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Y-K. Kim, National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland
D. H. Madison, Department of Physics, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa 5031 1
J. W. Gallagher, Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, University of Colorado and National Bureau of Standards, Boulder, Colorado

Date of this Version

10-1985

Comments

Published in Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 57, No. 4, October 1985. Copyright © 1985 The American Physical Society. Used by permission.

Abstract

Existing data on the ionization of neutral atoms and molecules by proton impact are reviewed, and electron production cross-section data are collected. The three major experimental methods are discussed and possible sources of error identified. Some theoretical cross sections are discussed, and well-established methods of relating them to measured cross sections are reviewed. A mathematical equation is fitted to the weighted experimental data for each target, and these fits are adjusted to be consistent with appropriate theoretical calculations and with electron impact and photoionization data. Recommended values of total cross sections for proton-impact ionization are given.