Ion induced ridge electrons and their diffraction in solid foil targets

We present detailed double differential distributions of electrons emitted downstream when 100 and 170 keV protons interact with thin carbon, gold and aluminuum foils and compare them to those obtained with protons and neutral hydrogen projectiles interacting with helium gas. The distributions obtained with the gas target show, besides the well known convoy electron peak produced by capture or loss of electrons into the continuum of the emerging ion, a narrow ridge that is aligned with the beam direction. This ridge, which is attributed to electrons moving in the two Coulomb center potential saddle determined by the target and projectile ions, also appears in the ion-solid electron distributions. A typical solid state effect consists in the appearance of two strong lateral humps which are explained as due to diffraction of the ridge electrons in the three dimensional lattice of the polycrystalline foil material. Contrarily the diffraction of convoy electrons is impeded by their strong correlation to the moving ions. In the case of the Aluminuun target the observed diffraction is typical for Al₂O₃. This indicates that the observed electrons originate from a thin polycrystalline oxyde layer close to the downstream surface of emission.