Abstract
Bragg curve spectrometers, BCS, used as heavy ion detectors, have been very useful in the study of nuclear reactions for a number of years (1-7. These devices measure the specific stopping power, DE/Dx, of an ion as it is stopped in a gas as a result, mainly, of the ionization of the gas molecules by the ion. When this curve is plotted as a function of energy or ion's penetration in the stopping gas, a curve known as Bragg curve, BC, is obtained, see Fig. 1. The total energy parameter, (E = area under the BC), and the Bragg peak height, (BP = maximum amplitude of BC), normally obtained with a BCS, allows to achieve a reliable identification of the products coming out of a nuclear reaction in the case where a heavy ion is used as projectile.