Chemical effects in the stopping cross sections of protons in rare earth fluorides

Stopping cross sections were measured for 0.5–0.7 MeV protons impinging on selected rare earth fluorides using energy differences of ions backscattered by thin films. The surface approximation was employed to determine the stopping cross sections. Consideration of chemical effects through the enthalpy of formation of the target compounds, as suggested by Bauer and Semrad (Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B 182 (2001) 62), allows a much better agreement with the electronic stopping predictions of the SRIM code, the Montenegro et al. universal formula and the tables by Janni.