Insight into picosecond kinetics of insulator surface under ionizing radiation

Abstract

We found experimentally and theoretically that MgO, CaF2, and Y3Al5O12 (YAG) irradiated with fast ions demonstrate a noticeably different surface response. Striking differences follow from the kinetics of nanodroplets ejection. Protrusion of the hot materials and subsequent recrystallization in MgO and CaF2 recover transient damage in the surface region, forming a spherically shaped nanohillock. YAG demonstrated almost no recovery of the transient disorder, forming an amorphous hillock. These differences are attributed to complex interplay between the mobilities of atoms in the hot region and surface tensions.