binary encounter approximation
binary encounter approximation
[′bīn·ə·rē in′kau̇nt·ər ə‚präk·sə′mā·shən] (atomic physics)
An approximation for predicting the probability that an incident proton will eject an inner shell electron from an atom; it uses a semiclassical treatment of momentum transfer from the incident proton to the ejected electron.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.