Mechanisms of recovery of radiation damage based on the interaction of quodons with crystal defects

Abstract

A majority of radiation effects studies are connected with creation of radiation-induced defects in the crystal bulk, which causes the observed degradation of material properties, called radiation damage. In the present paper we consider mechanisms of recovery of the radiation damage, based on the radiation-induced formation of quodons (energetic, mobile, highly localized lattice excitations that propagate great distances along close-packed crystal directions) and their interaction with crystal defects such as voids and dislo-cations. The rate theory of microstructure evolution in solids modified with account of quodon-induced reactions is applied for description of the radiation-induced annealing of voids observed under low temperature ion irradiation of nickel. Comparison of the theory with experimental data is used for a quanti-tative estimation of the propagation range of quodons in metals. Some other related phenomena in radiation physics of crystals are discussed, which include the void lattice formation and electron-plastic effect.