Theory of rainbows in thin crystals: The explanation of ion channeling applied to Ne10+ ions transmitted through a < 100 > Si thin crystal

The theory of crystal rainbows is presented. It enables the generation and full explanation of the angular distribution of ions transmitted through th in crystals. The angular distribution of the transmitted ions is generated by the computer simulation method. Then, the rainbow lines in the scatterin g angle plane are determined. These lines ensure the full explanation of th e angular distribution. The theory is applied to the transmission of Ne10ions through a (100) Si thin crystal. The ion energy is 60 MeV and the crys tal thickness is varied from 105 to 632 atomic layers, i.e., from the begin ning of the first rainbow cycle to the beginning of the second rainbow cycl e.