Effect of stimulated radiation processes on formation of tracks and nanocavities in solids

TL;DR

This paper investigates how stimulated radiation processes influence the formation of tracks and nanocavities in solids, revealing that radiation confinement due to electronic excitations affects the size and formation mechanisms of these features.

Contribution

It introduces a theory incorporating stimulated radiation processes into the understanding of track and nanocavity formation in solids during ion irradiation.

Findings

Track diameter is determined by the size of an elementary resonator.

Stimulated radiation processes influence the confinement of radiation in the track region.

Similar effects are observed in nanocavity formation in semiconductors.

Abstract

It is shown that the average diameter of tracks produced by swift heavy ions in metals is determined by the size of elementary resonator. The last is introduced in the theory of thermal radiation accounting for the stimulated radiation processes. Due to the inverse density gradient, radiation produced by electronic excitations is locked in the region of track which is formed. Similar effects are applied to the process of nanocavity formation in semiconductors during ion irradiation.