Energy-loss and exit-angle distributions of fragmented H2+ ions after traversing carbon foils

We analyze the dependence on the exit angle of the energy loss suffered by the fragment protons resulting from the dissociation of swift H2+ molecules after traversing thin carbon foils. The trajectory of each proton was followed by numerically solving the corresponding equations of motion, using the dielectric formalism to describe the forces due to electronic excitations in the medium, whereas the repulsion between protons from the same molecule was taken into account by using a Coulomb potential. Nuclear collisions with target nuclei were incorporated through a Monte Carlo code. The contribution of each one of the above interactions to the joint angle and energy-loss spectra of the fragment protons is discussed as a function of the molecule incident energy and foil thickness.This work was financed by the Spanish DGES (project PB96-1118), the Generalitat Valenciana (Project No. GV99-54-1-01), and the Argentinian FONCYT (Project No. PICT 0303579). C.D.D. thanks the Argentinian CONICET for financial support and the Fundación Séneca (Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia) for economical support during his stay at the Universidad de Murcia