A molecular dynamics simulation of charged particle transfer through metals: The role of multi-body collisions

Abstract

Exploring the transport of high-energy charged particles through solid matter is crucial in various domains, such as radiation shielding and radiation protection. The primary focus lies in accurately quantifying energy deposition and understanding induced reactions. However, addressing this through the solution of the transfer equation poses challenges, largely stemming from the long-range Coulomb interactions that involve multiple particles concurrently. When charged particles traverse dense matter, overlooking multi-body collisions results in notably inaccurate approximations.In a prior study Molinari and Teodori (2015), we delved into a numerical simulation of the Fokker–Planck equation, incorporating contributions from multi-body collisions. This model facilitated the precise calculation of point-wise energy and momentum transferred to the target, specifically from high-energy protons. Over the years, the scope of the model has expanded to encompass the description of electron transfer as well. This extension allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the intricate dynamics involved in the interaction of high-energy charged particles with solid materials.