Abstract
A practical procedure is described to determine the core-size of tracks of charged particles of relativistic speed penetrating a condensed medium. It is based on equating the energy flow outwards at the maximum impact parameter obtained from Fermi's theory to the neglected part of stopping-power arising from Bohr's application of the principle of adiabatic invariance. The core size so obtained increases with the speed of the impinging particle approaching a finite limit at the speed of light (about 132 Å for liquid water). The direct energy trnsfer from the charged particles at distances greater than the core-radius arising from Črenkov radiation and molecular excitation has been estimated and shown to be negligible in most cases.

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