Electron Stripping Cross Sections for Fast, Low Charge State Uranium Ions

Cross sections for projectile electron loss for U and U colliding with H2, N2 and Ar were calculated using the n-body classical trajectory Monte Carlo method. The calculations include electrons on both nuclear centers and all electron-electron and electron-nuclear interactions between centers. Multiple ionization is inherently included in these many electron calculations. Overall, except for the H2 target where the projectile stripping is overestimated by a factor of two, the calculated cross sections are in reasonable accord with available data and the recent beam lifetime measurements from GSI-Darmstadt. For energies less than 100 MeV/u, the N2 and Ar cross sections do not scale as E as predicted by one-electron theories. PACS: 34.50Fa, 34.50.Bw, 29.27.Eg