Energy Loss of Electrons Below 10 keV

Monte Carlo calculations are used to obtain the energy loss and spatial distribution of electrons penetrating matter. For this purpose, reliable cross section for the inelastic collisions must be known. As an approximation valid for large energy losses, the Coulomb cross section can be used. It can be modified in a simple way to account for the binding of electrons and for the exchange effect. In the Gryzinski model, collisions with moving electrons are assumed. In the quantum mechanical Bethe approximation, σ is closely related to the dipole oscillator strength (DOS), and its extension to finite momentum transfers, the generalized oscillator strength (GOS). Therefore, the influence of the state of a material on DOS is shown for the example of gaseous and solid silicon. Some details of the Bethe model are given for Si. The Bethe asymptotic approximation to the stopping power is derived, and the reason for the shell corrections is demonstrated. Collision cross sections calculated with three different models are compared. In general, models based on a detailed knowledge of the GOS should be used for applications

Improving the dE/dx calibration of the STAR TPC for the high-pT hadron identification

We derive a method to improve particle identification (PID) at high transverse momentum ($p_T$) using the relativistic rise of the ionization energy loss ($rdE/dx$) when charged particles traverse the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) at STAR. Electrons triggered and identified by the Barrel Electro-Magnetic Calorimeter (BEMC), pure protons and pions from $\Lambda\to p+\pi^{-}$ ($\bar{\Lambda}\to \bar{p}+\pi^{+}$), and $K^{0}_{S}\to\pi^{+}+\pi^{-}$ decays are used to obtain the $dE/dx$ value and its width at given $\beta\gamma=p/m$. We found that the deviation of the $dE/dx$ from the Bichsel function can be up to $0.4\sigma$ ($\sim3$) in p+p collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV taken and subsequently calibrated in year 2005. The deviation is approximately a function of $\beta\gamma$ independent of particle species and can be described with a function of $f(x) = A+\frac{B}{C+x^{2}}$. The deviations obtained with this method are used to re-calibrate the data sample from p+p collision for physics analysis of identified hadron spectra and their correlations up to transverse momentum of 15 GeV/$c$. The ratio of $e^{-}/e^{+}$ (dominantly from $\gamma$-conversion) is also used to correct the residual asymmetry in the negative and positive charged hadrons due to momentun distortion in the STAR TPC.Comment: 18pages, 10 figure