Characteristic X-ray production in heavy ion collisions

The characteristic K X-ray production from projectile and solid target atoms in heavy ion collisions have been measured using a high-resolution Ge-detector. Ni projectiles in the energy range 15-25 MeV have been used to irradiate various thick targets made of materials in the Z range 22-32. In this energy region, the transition from predominantly quasi-molecular excitation to predominantly Coulomb excitation occurs. These measurements have been done in connection with our programme with a fairly new analytical technique, a combination of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and the detection of characteristic X-rays. From the measurements, experimental K X-ray cross-sections have been extracted. Comparisons with other experimental data as well as with theoretical values are presented. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.