Theory of Coulomb scattering in particle beams using Markov's method

An analytic theory of Coulomb scattering in particle beams is derived. It r ests on the assumption that the N-body interaction can be well approximated by the vector superposition of all individual two-body interactions on a s ingle, randomly chosen particle. This is the only assumption or approximati on needed. A direct mathematical correspondence exists with the general pro blem of random flights, which was solved by Markov. The theoretical predict ion agrees with Monte Carlo simulation to within a few percent for the late ral trajectory displacement for a particular case. The computation time req uired for the analytical result is at least an order of magnitude smaller t han that required for Monte Carlo simulation. (C) 1999 American Vacuum Soci ety, [S0734-211X(99)05606-1].