Ionization of liquid hydrocarbons and tetramethylsilane by 241Am alpha particles

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Abstract
The charge spectra resulting from alpha particle ionization of tetramethylsilane, neopentane, 2,2,4,4‐tetramethylpentane, 2,2,4‐trimethylpentane, and 2,2‐dimethylbutane were measured as a function of field. The data are evaluated in terms of the track models proposed by Jaffé and by Kramers. These models explain the observed increase in asymmetry of the spectral shape with increasing field in terms of the orientation of the alpha tracks. However, they fail to account for all the results in detail. From a consideration of the deficiencies of these models we formulate several modifications which should be considered in developing a correct model. The most important among these is the internal field arising from the difference between positive and negative ion densities which should be explicitly included along with the contribution of delta rays.