Energy-angle distribution of low-energy hydrogen ions in thin aluminum and gold foils

Energy and angular distributions of hydrogen ions in thin solid foils of elements with significantly different electronic structures and atomic masses, such as Al and Au, have been measured at 9 keV using the transmission technique. The results are compared with Monte Carlo simulations using a classical scattering approach and an impact-parameter independent electronic energy loss, as well as with a simplified model containing the main physical features. In both cases, the effect of foil roughness on angular dependence of the energy loss has been included and it has been found to be responsible for the variations observed at small angles. The measured angular distributions have also been compared with standard multiple scattering functions corresponding to Thomas-Fermi and Lenz-Jensen potentials and with calculations based on 1/r(n) power potentials. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.