INTERACTION OF H- IONS WITH FOIL TARGETS IN THE CHARGE-EXCHANGE SYSTEM OF A BEAM TRANSPORT CHANNEL

The possibility of experimentally modeling the interaction of high ene rgy H- ions with foil targets using beams with more accessible lower e nergies that have the same dimensionless interaction parameter and sim ilar current characteristics is pointed out. Results are presented fro m the first stage of a study of the beam-foil stripping of 2 and 7 MeV H- ions. An analysis of the charge composition of the beam after a ca rbon foil serves as a basis for determining the corresponding cross se ctions for stripping of the ions and ionization of the product hydroge n atoms. The data from these and other beam-foil experiments are in go od agreement with theoretical cross sections on carbon at different en ergies, as well with calculated values based on the superposition of e xperimental cross sections for gaseous carbon-containing targets. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7842(95)01708-5].