Conditions for the observation of two-ion correlation effects in the interaction of a fast ion beam with a plasma target

The experimental conditions, under which two-ion correlation effects in the stopping power of fast charged particles in plasmas can be observed, are determined on the basis of simple physical considerations on the interaction between two close ions moving in a plasma. More detailed numerical results, based on recent theoretical models (LONTANO M. and RAIMONDI F., Phys. Rev. E, 51 (1995) R2755), confirm the possibility of measuring such effects in already existing devices.