Electronic screening in heavy-ion—atom collisions

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Abstract
A model is developed to describe the effects of screening by projectile electrons in heavy-ion—atom collisions. The effective nuclear charge of the projectile is estimated as a function of the interaction distance based on the spatial distribution of bound electrons derived from their electronic wave functions. Correlation of the effective interaction distance with collisional energy transfer through the Massey criterion enables comparison of model predictions of effective projectile charge with results obtained from differential-ionization-cross-section measurements. The model is found to provide a reliable estimate of screening for measurements involving fast helium and oxygen ions.