Electron capture for fast highly charged ions in gas targets: An empirical scaling rule

A universal empirical scaling rule for electron-capture cross sections is reported for fast, highly charged ions in atomic and molecular targets. Projectiles range in energy from 0.3 to 8.5 MeV/amu, with charge states as high as 59+. This rule permits prediction of electron-capture cross sections for a wide variety of projectile-target combinations.