Effects of Coupling on Stopping Power and Particle Slowing in the Classical One-Component Plasma

We conducted molecular dynamics simulations of the slowing of charged projectile particles in one-component plasmas over a wide range of background Coulomb coupling strengths, and projectile masses and speeds.
Slowing was assessed by tracking the total and "directional" kinetic energy of the projectiles.
As coupling increases, the Bragg peak shifts to several times the plasma thermal speed, and the overall stopping power curve broadens in comparison to the weakly coupled limit.
We compared simulation results with and explored the domain of applicability of three analytic models based on dielectric linear response theory or the binary collision picture, which were extended to include strong coupling effects.
The models were found to be applicable when ν/ω_p < 0.03, where ν is the collision frequency, and ω_p is the plasma frequency.
We were able to distinguish between two classes of models; those that associate stopping power with a frictional force, and those that associate it with a total kinetic energy exchange rate including the thermal relaxation of the projectile with the plasma.