Calculations of the multiple scattering of low-energy heavy ions in a finite-range potential

The calculation is considered of the multiple scattering of heavy ions by a finite-range potential that gives zero scattering angle at the range of the potential and is compared with the truncated cross-section method used by Meyer. For a suitable choice of the range of the potential and the number of collision centres encountered by a projectile traversing a thin foil, substantial agreement can be obtained with experimental data on polycrystalline foils in the energy range of a few tens of keV. For higher energies, of the order of 500 keV, some of the trends in the experimental data are reproduced. To obtain agreement with experimental data for amorphous materials a change in the model describing the number of collisions is found to be necessary. (author)