Comprehensive analysis of the stopping power of antiprotons and negative muons in He and H2 gas targets

A comprehensive analysis of the stopping power of antiprotons and negative muons in He and H2 gas targets for projectile velocities (equivalent antiproton energies) ranging from about 0.1 to 10 au (0.25 keV to 2.5 MeV) is performed. Recent experimental data are contrasted with theoretical results obtained from different approaches. The electronic stopping power is evaluated within the coupled-state atomic-orbital method and the distorted-wave Born approximation as well as, for low projectile velocities, within a generalized adiabatic-ionization model that takes into account collisional-broadening effects. The departure of the antiproton stopping power from the proton stopping power (‘Barkas effect’), observed for intermediate projectile velocities, is discussed. The contribution to the stopping power arising from energy transfer to the translational degrees of freedom of the target system (‘nuclear stopping’) is evaluated. Our analysis results in a good understanding of the stopping mechanisms of negative heavy particles in gases, in particular in He. Discrepancies between theory and experiment in the H2 case are attributed to effects of the molecular structure of the target.