ENERGY-LOSS OF SWIFT H-3(-MOLECULE IONS IN CARBON FOILS())

The energy loss of H-3(+)-molecule beams interacting with amorphous ca rbon targets has been calculated, both as a function of the target thi ckness and the projectile velocity. We have considered the spatial cha nges, due to Coulomb repulsion, of the initial molecular configuration after the H-3(+) ion enters the target and then used a dielectric for malism to evaluate the stopping power of the correlated protons. The r atio between the stopping power of the H-3(+) molecule and that of its constituents considered individually accounts for the vicinage effect s and agrees reasonably well with available experimental data.