Channeling—The lattice steering of swift charged particles through crystalline solids

In channeling swift charged projectiles are utilized as versatile probes for solid state properties, with applications in nuclear, atomic, and molecular physics. In a review the development of this field—15 years after its fortuitous discovery—is presented. The outlines are: Introduction and principles; Flux distribution; Dechanneling; Blocking; Classical scattering versus quantum diffraction; Negative particle channeling; Consequences and applications (energy loss, ranges, radiation damage, interaction rates, lattice locations, nuclear lifetimes, cluster ions as channeled projectiles).