I Helium Ion collision with diamond wafer

[Biodelta]

If a Helium ion He+ collides with a diamond wafer surface, an insulator, does the Helium ion, at 25 deg C,
will the ion lose it's charge by gaining an electron from the insulative surface or does the ion have an elastic collision with no net energy loss or gain?

 

[Bystander]

Freshly cleaved diamond?

 

[Biodelta]

The diamond wafer surface is chemical vapour deposited CVD onto a conducting surface probably copper.

 

[Bystander]

... and, "Up jumps the devil."

 

[berkeman]

Thread difficulty level changed from "A" (graduate school) to "I" (undergraduate).

 

[Biodelta]

I appreciate that you have chosen to change thread difficulty.
Separate to the physics forum on this particular question the answers per level of education have been as follows:

1/ Particle Physicist, MSC, collisions elastic.
2/ Physicist, mathematician, BSc, collisions elastic.
3/ Physicist,Ukrainian Professor, collisions elastic.
4/ Nuclear Physicist, PhD, German elastic.
5/ Australian Professor, ANSTO, initial consideration elastic, then changed to inelastic.

Accordingly, I wonder whether an undergraduate would be able to answer the question.

Regards,
Stuart

 

[mfb]

There is a third option that both processes are possible.