Evaluation of chemical erosion data for carbon materials at high ion fluxes using Bayesian probability theory

Parameters for a function modeling chemical erosion of carbon as a function of particle energy and flux as well as target temperature are determined f rom the available data. The analysis is based on Bayesian inference and pro vides posterior estimates of parameters, erosion yields and associated erro r margins. The model function incorporates the flux dependence via a time c onstant for hydration. The present analysis yields a hydration time of 0.22 m s independent of surface temperature and isotope mass. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.