Charge-changing nuclear reactions of relativistic light-ion beams (5 ≤ Z ≤ 10) passing through thick absorbers

Abstract

Light-ion beams of 20Ne, 19Ne, 18F, 16O, 15O, 14N, 12C and 10B in the energy range between 200 and 670 MeV/u were fragmented in thick targets of water, carbon, lucite, polyethylene, and aluminum. The nuclear charge composition of the fragmented beam was measured via energy loss in a large-area ionisation chamber. Using a water absorber of variable thickness up to 25 cm the elemental fragment yields were measured down to Z = 5. Their build-up and decay characteristics are described by a system of differential equations. From an analysis of the depth distributions of the surviving projectiles and the lower- Z projectile fragments, both total and partial charge-changing cross sections were obtained.