Cross Sections for Ionizaton of Gases by 5-4000-keV Protons and for Electron Capture by 5-150-keV Protons

Authors

M. Eugene Rudd, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
R. D. DuBois, Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Richland, Washington
L. H. Toburen, Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Richland, Washington
C. A. Ratcliffe, Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Richland, Washington
T. V. Goffe, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Date of this Version

12-1983

Comments

Published in Physical Review A Volume 28, Number 6, December 1983. Copyright © American Physical Society; used by permission.

Abstract

Using the parallel-plate-capacitor method and a capacitance manometer to determine pressures, total cross sections for the production of positive and negative charges were measured for 5-4000- keV-proton impact on He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Hz, N₂, CO, 0₂, CH₄, and C0₂. From these, ionization and electron-capture cross sections were obtained and fitted to semi-empirical equations describing the energy dependence in terms of a few parameters. At high energies very good agreement is obtained in the comparison of the ionization cross sections to earlier proton- and electron-impact measurements and with theoretical treatments where they are available, but discrepancies exist for some targets at low energy. Above 10 keV the electron-capture cross sections are in agreement with earlier work for all the targets except CO and CH₄ for which they are (20-40)% higher.