Eur. Phys. J. D (2021) 75: 136
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/s10053-021-00136-1

Regular Article - Atomic and Molecular Collisions

Transmission of $3\text{-keV}{\text{Ne}}^{7+}$ ion through nanocapillaries probing the discharge process

¹ Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, D-14109, Berlin, Germany
² Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA Atomki), P.O. Box 51, H-4001, Debrecen, Hungary
³ Department of Solid State Physics, University of Debrecen, P.O. Box 400, H-4002, Debrecen, Hungary

^a nico@stolterfoht.com

Received: 23 February 2021
Accepted: 24 March 2021
Published online: 21 April 2021

Abstract

Experiments were carried out to study the transmission of $3\text{-keV}{\text{Ne}}^{7+}$ ions through nanocapillaries in polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The capillaries were highly parallel with a diameter of 230 nm and a length of $12\mu \text{m}$. The transmission during the charging and discharging processes was measured for different tilt angles ranging from $3^{\circ }$ to $9^{\circ }$. An advanced instrumental technique was employed to avoid recharging effects during the discharging process. During discharging, the decay of the guided transmission is found to be non-exponential depending strongly on the tilt angle. The experiments were interpreted by model calculations using a minimum number of free parameters. The discharging results for different tilt angles are reproduced by a single decay function involving nonlinear properties. After measuring the discharge for nearly 7 hours, the charge depletion rate was found to be unexpectedly small resulting in a long duration of the charges in the capillary.