Alpha-decay induced shortening of fission tracks simulated by in situ ion irradiation

Tracks and voids in amorphous Ge induced by swift heavy-ion irradiation.

Ion tracks formed in amorphous Ge by swift heavy-ion irradiation have been identified with experiment and modeling to yield unambiguous evidence of tracks in an amorphous semiconductor. Their underdense core and overdense shell result from quenched-in radially outward material flow. Following a solid-to-liquid phase transformation, the volume contraction necessary to accommodate the high-densit...

Fission Tracks Simulated by Swift Heavy Ions at Crustal Temperatures and Pressures

The fission-track dating technique is an important tool to constrain the history of samples from small archaeological specimens to large geological formations. The method is based on analyzing particle tracks produced by spontaneous fission of 238 U nuclei and accumulated over time. In laboratory experiments, fission tracks can be simulated by performing irradiations with energetic heavy ions p...

Life shortening by multiple doses of irradiation.

In-situ observation and atomic resolution imaging of the ion irradiation induced amorphisation of graphene

Ion irradiation has been observed to induce a macroscopic flattening and in-plane shrinkage of graphene sheets without a complete loss of crystallinity. Electron diffraction studies performed during simultaneous in-situ ion irradiation have allowed identification of the fluence at which the graphene sheet loses long-range order. This approach has facilitated complementary ex-situ investigations...

Improved fission-track length measurements using ion irradiation

Apatite [Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl)] is a common mineral in rocks that contains ~10 ppm U. U disintegrates by spontaneous fission and the fission fragments produce linear damage trails of ~20 μm length and 5-10 nm width. The lattice damage along such a fission track is repaired at elevated temperatures, leading to a gradual decrease of its etchable length. Since fresh tracks are formed as existing tracks ...