Using Carbon or Aluminum to block photons
We're looking to see which is better for letting photons through, Carbon or Aluminum.
20 MeV for Carbon
range is [math]\displaystyle{ 10.49 \frac{g}{cm^{3}} }[/math]
density of Carbon = [math]\displaystyle{ ~2.3 \frac{g}{cm^{3}} }[/math]
thickness = [math]\displaystyle{ \frac{range}{density} = \frac{10.49}{2.3} = 4.56 cm }[/math]
Therefore, the thickness of our Carbon is 4.56 cm
10 MeV hitting 4.56 cm of Carbon
n = [math]\displaystyle{ 2.3 \frac{g}{cm^{3}} \times \frac{6.022 \cdot 10^{23} atoms}{12 g} = 1.2 \cdot 10^{23} \frac{atoms}{cm^{3}} }[/math]