Electron loss from hydrogen-like highly charged ions in collisions with electrons, protons and light atoms

Abstract

We consider electron loss from a hydrogen-like highly charged ion (HCI) in relativistic collisions with hydrogen and helium in the range of impact velocities vmin ≤ v ≤ vmax (vmin and vmax correspond to the threshold energy εth for electron loss in collisions with a free electron and to ≈5 εth, respectively) where any reliable data for loss cross sections are absent. In this range, where the loss process is characterized by large momentum transfers, we express it in terms of electron loss in collisions with equivelocity protons and electrons and explore by performing a detailed comparative study of these subprocesses. Our results, in particular, show that: (i) compared to equivelocity electrons protons are more effective in inducing electron loss, (ii) the relative effectiveness of electron projectiles grows with increase in the atomic number of a HCI, (iii) collisions with protons and electrons lead to a qualitatively different population of the final-state-electron momentum space and even when the total loss cross sections in these collisions become already equal the spectra of the outgoing electrons still remain quite different in almost the entire volume of the final-state-electron momentum space, (iv) in collisions with hydrogen and helium the contributions to the loss process from the interactions with the nucleus and the electron(s) of the atom could be rather well separated in a substantial part of the final-state-electron momentum space.