252Cf Fission Fragment Energy Loss Measurements in Elementary Gases and Solids as Compared with Theory

Abstract

Energy loss of 252Cf fission fragments in 15 gases and solids, representing a wide range of atomic numbers throughout the periodic system, has been measured using a calibrated Si surface barrier heavy ion detector. The data are used for a detailed and systematic comparison with existing theoretical treatments of the electronic energy loss mechanism showing that none of them gives overall good agreement for all stopping substances.The Bohr expression for heavy stopping substances, which shows consistent deviation from experiment for the entire range of stopping media, suggests that based on this approach, a semi-empirical modification can be derived.