Theoretical stopping power of copper for protons using the shellwise local plasma approximation

Abstract

We present a theoretical study on the energy loss by protons in solid copper. The ab initio shellwise local plasma approximation (SLPA) is employed for the inner-shells, and the Mermin dielectric function for the valence electrons. The partial contribution of each sub-shell of target electrons is calculated separately, including the screening among the electrons of the same binding energy. Present results are obtained using the SLPA and the known Hartree-Fock wave functions for copper. The theoretical curves are compared with the experimental data available and with the semi-empirical srim08 values, showing very good agreement in a large energy region (5 keV-30 MeV).