Energy and angular distributions of electrons emitted from gases and thin foils during light ion bombardment

The energy and angular distributions of electrons ejected by fast charged particles in ionizing collisions provide detailed information regarding the effects of atomic, molecular, and condensed-phase structure on the energy loss process. The cross sections for electron production by light ions will be reviewed with emphasis on the effects of projectile and target structure on the magnitude and spectral properties of the energy and angular distributions of ejected electrons. Analysis of the wide range of available data has lead to several general conclusions. For ionization of atomic and molecular targets by protons having energies above a few hundred keV, the cross sections for electron production have been found to scale as the number of loosely bound target electrons.