Radiation Effects in Solids (eBook)

The purpose of this book is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of fundamental principles and relevant technical issues associated with the behavior of solids exposed to high-energy radiation. It details a broad range of topics falling into three general categories: (i) radiation damage fundamentals; (ii) materials dependent radiation damage phenomena; (iii) special topics (including swift ion irradiation effects, nanostructure design via irradiation, radiation detectors, and many other topics).

This book serves to demonstrate the crucial interplay between experimental and theoretical investigations of radiation damage phenomena. The book explores computer simulation methods for the examination of radiation effects, ranging from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of events occurring on short timescales (ps – ns), to methods such as kinetic Monte Carlo and kinetic rate theory, which consider damage evolution over times ranging from µs to hours beyond the initial damage event. The book also examines some of the experimental techniques used to assess radiation damage accumulation in solids, including transmission electron microscopy, ion channeling, nanoindentation, and positron annihilation, to name only a few techniques.

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This book contains proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study nd Institute (ASI): The 32 Course of the International School of Solid State Physics entitled Radiation Effects in Solids, held in Erice, Sicily, Italy, July 17-29, 2004, at the Ettore Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture (EMCSC). The Course had 83 participants (68 students and 15 instructors) representing 23 countries. The purpose of this Course was to provide ASI students with a comprehensive overview of fundamental principles and relevant technical issues associated with the behavior of solids exposed to high-energy radiation. These issues are important to the development of materials for existing fission reactors or future fusion and advanced reactors for energy production; to the development of electronic devices such as high-energy detectors; and to the development of novel materials for electronic and photonic applications (particularly on the nanoscale). The Course covered a broad range of topics, falling into three general categories: Radiation Damage Fundamentals Energetic particles and energy dissipation Atomic displacements and cascades Damage evolution Defect aggregation Microstructural evolution Material Dependent Radiation Damage Phenomena (metals, alloys, semiconductors, intermetallics, ceramics, polymers, biomaterials) Atomic and microstructural effects (e.g., point defects, color centers, extended defects, dislocations, voids, bubbles, colloids, phase transformations, amorphization) Macroscopic phenomena (e.g., swelling, embrittlement, cracking, thermal conductivity degradation) vii viii Preface Special Topics Swift ion irradiation effects Ion beam modification of materials Nanostructure design via irradiation Nuclear fuels and waste forms Radiation detectors, dosimeters, phosphors, luminescent materials, etc.