Stopping of slow recoil atoms in gases

Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence spectra contain information on the slowing-down behaviour of recoiling atoms in the energy range pertinent to the specific reaction. On the basis of conventional transport theory, measured spectra for arsenic atoms with energies ?15 eV slowing down in helium are analysed. The assumption of continuous slowing down turns out to be well justified, and the thermal motion of the gas atoms is shown to influence the effective stopping power only slightly. Somewhat surprising in view of uncertainties concerning the charge state of the recoiling atoms, theoretical predictions based on Lenz-Jensen elastic interaction agree well with the measured spectra. At present, the experimental data do not allow direct inversion, but the calculated spectra are shown to depend sensitively on the stopping-power input.