Range Straggling in Nuclear Track Emulsion

Abstract

The contributions to the range variance in nuclear track emulsion have been studied and the magnitude of the various effects calculated. Bohr straggling is found to be the most important effect when the energy is high, but for slow particles, a number of others combine to dominate the straggling. Range errors caused by distortion are also studied. Measurements are reported on the straggling of eighteen particle groups consisting of protons, pions, and muons. With the particle mass and velocity as variable parameters, the theoretical estimates are tested and a detailed accounting of the contributions to the straggling is made.