Simulation of the energy spectra of original versus recombinedH2+molecular ions transmitted through thin foils

Abstract

This work presents the results of computer simulations for the energy spectra of original versus recombined $\mathrm{H}_{2}{}^{+}$ molecular ions transmitted through thin amorphous carbon foils, for a broad range of incident energies. A detailed description of the projectile motion through the target has been done, including nuclear scattering and Coulomb repulsion as well as electronic self-retarding and wake forces; the two latter are calculated in the dielectric formalism framework. Differences in the energy spectra of recombined and original transmitted $\mathrm{H}_{2}{}^{+}$ molecular ions clearly appear in the simulations, in agreement with the available experimental data. Our simulation code also differentiates the contributions due to original and to recombined $\mathrm{H}_{2}{}^{+}$ molecular ions when the energy spectra contain both contributions, a feature that could be used for experimental purposes in estimating the ratio between the number of original and recombined $\mathrm{H}_{2}{}^{+}$ molecular ions transmitted through thin foils.