Stopping power measurement of 225 keV/u oxygen ions in laser-produced lithium hydride plasma

We experientially investigated the stopping power of 225 keV/u oxygen ions in laser-produced lithium hydride (LiH) plasma. The plasma target was produced by irradiation of a small LiH pellet with a Q-switched Nd-glass laser. We have developed a system to measure the energy loss of projectile ions in the target with a time-of-flight method. We found that the measured stopping power in the plasma was more than three times higher than the one in cold matter. The effective charge of the projectiles determined from the measured stopping power was also higher than the one in cold matter. (author)