A qualitative description of the transverse motion of axial channeled particles in thin crystals

The qualitative features of the angular distribution of particles emergent from thin ∼ 1μ, uniform single crystals of silicon and germanium for incidence at small angles to axial directions are discussed in terms of the continuum picture of particle channeling. Blocking of axially channeled particles in the transverse plane is demonstrated. Implications and possibilities arising from observation of non-equilibrium of the transverse momentum vector are discussed. The use of the radial spreading of the angular distribution to investigate the average inter-atomic potential distribution in the plane transverse to the axial direction is explored and perturbations due to multiple scattering in surface films or inside the crystal and to beam divergence are qualitatively considered.