Energy loss straggling of 5.486 MeV α-particles in PP, PET and KAPTON polymeric foils

Abstract The energy loss straggling for 5.486 MeV α-particles, from 241 Am source, in PP (C 3 H 6 ), PET (C 10 H 8 O 4 ) and KAPTON (C 22 H 10 O 5 N 2 ) polymeric foils was measured. These measured values were compared with the most commonly used Bohr, Lindhard & Scharff and Bethe-Livingston formulations with the aim to check the reliability of these formulations. Further, Bethe-Livingston formulation has been suitably modified to make it applicable for thicker targets.