Relativistic effects on stopping power of plasmas with heavy ions

Abstract

This work investigates the electronic stopping power for protons of a tungsten plasma at various electron densities and temperatures. The study employs a dielectric formalism to model the stopping power due to free and bound electrons, considering relativistic and non-relativistic effects. The bound electron stopping power is modeled using the shellwise local plasma approximation (SLPA) introduced by Montanari and Miraglia. The ionization state of the plasma is also examined, revealing its impact on the bound electron contribution. We compare our results with the T-Matrix approach and the Li-Petrasso model for free electrons in combination with SLPA calculations for the bound electron ones. Results demonstrate the significance of bound electron stopping power, particularly for plasma with high-Z ions. This investigation contributes valuable insights into plasma physics and fusion energy research, providing essential data for future experiments and simulations.