Transmission of highly charged ions through microcapillaries

Transmission of highly charged ions through microcapillaries is studied the oretically by a classical trajectory Monte Carlo method. The interaction of highly charged ions with the internal surface of the capillary is treated within the framework of dielectric response theory. We analyze the distance of closest approach and the angular distribution of the highly charged ion s. As a projectile we consider N6+ With an energy of 2.1 keV/amu. We find t he resulting charge-state distribution of transmitted projectiles in good a greement with first measurements. Moreover, our calculations indicate that grazing collisions with the microcapillary surface hold the promise of dire ct observation of charge transfer and hollow-atom formation at large distan ce from the surface. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.