similar correlation has been observed by Pierce and Blann for lighter projectiles. 5 There is not enough evidence to say whether this correlation is more than a useful fortuitous fact since the concept of an effective charge for an energetic ion in a solid is vague at best. If the electronic stopping power does follow the dependence of the mean charge of ions in gases, then differences, similar to the differences in the mean charges between I and U ions in air reported by Betz et a/. 16 (see Fig. 5), should be observable in the electronic slowing down process. Unfortunately, the present data do not cover a large enough range of reduced velocities to be sensitive to such deviations. More accurate data, taken over a wider range of energies of very heavy ions are needed in order to detect any possible dependence of the stopping process on the mass of the projectile.It is worth remarking that if the effective charge deduced from dE/dX measurements is indeed a physically meaningful quantity, then, perhaps, the potential charge experienced by the ions on their passage from 1 W. H. Zachariasen, quoted by A. W. Lawson and T. Tang, Phys. Rev. 76, 301 (1949).The 7 -> a phase transition of cerium has been investigated by measurement of the positron lifetime and angular correlation of positron-annihilation radiation in the two phases. The lifetime in the a phase was observed to be 8% shorter than the lifetime in the 7 phase when the a phase was produced by the application of pressure; and it was observed to be 5% longer when the a phase was produced by lowering the temperature. The angular correlation from a-cerium produced by pressure was observed to be slightly broader than that from 7-cerium, in contrast to the narrowing previously observed when a-cerium was produced by lowering the temperature. Since the observed changes are much smaller than predicted by models which explain the 7 -> a: transition by assuming a transfer, or partial transfer, of the 4/ electron to the conduction band, it is concluded that such electronic promotion does not occur.
GUSTAFSON,McNUTT, AND ROELLIG