Transmission of highly charged ions through microcapillaries

Transmission of highly charged ions through microcapillaries is studied theoretically by a classical trajectory Monte Carlo method. The interaction of highly charged ions with the internal surface of the capillary is treated within the framework of dielectric response theory. We analyze the distance of closest approach and the angular distribution of the highly charged ions. As a projectile we consider N6+ With an energy of 2.1 keV/amu. We find the resulting charge-state distribution of transmitted projectiles in good agreement with first measurements. Moreover, our calculations indicate that grazing collisions with the microcapillary surface hold the promise of direct observation of charge transfer and hollow-atom formation at large distance from the surface. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.