Why are materials rich in hydrogen, like polyethylene, often preferred for shielding against GCRs compared to dense materials like aluminum?
Answer
They are more effective at breaking up primary heavy ions into less damaging components.
Hydrogen-rich materials are superior for mitigating GCRs because they are better at fragmenting the incoming heavy ions into less harmful secondary components, whereas dense materials like aluminum can sometimes increase the flux of harmful secondary neutrons.
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