On the Theory and Simulation of Multiple Coulomb Scattering of Heavy Charged Particles

Abstract

The Moliere theory of multiple Coulomb scattering is modified to take into account difference between scattering off atomic nuclei and electron. A simple analytical expression for angular distribution of charged particles passing through a thick absorber is found. It does not assume any special form for a differential cross section and has wider range of applicability than a Gaussian approximation. A well-known method to simulate multiple Coulomb scattering is based on the different treatment of soft and hard collisions. An angular deflection in a large number of soft collisions is sampled using the proposed distribution function, a small number of hard collisions are simulated directly. A boundary between hard and soft collisions is defined providing a precise sampling of scattering angle (1% level) and small number of hard collisions. A corresponding simulation module takes into account projectile and nucleus charge distributions and exact kinematics of a projectile-electron interaction.