Excitonically-Induced Mechanisms of Inelastic Processes in Rare-Gas Solids

TL;DR

This paper investigates how electronic excitations lead to defect formation in rare-gas solids, especially argon, revealing both intrinsic excitonic and extrinsic Rydberg state mechanisms through spectroscopy.

Contribution

It introduces a combined excitonic and Rydberg state model for defect formation in rare-gas solids, supported by experimental spectroscopy data.

Findings

Intrinsic excitonic mechanism contributes to defect formation.

Extrinsic Rydberg state mechanism also plays a role.

Both mechanisms coexist in argon solids.

Abstract

The models of permanent lattice defect formation in rare-gas solids are discussed with a focus on a point defect formation in solid Ar. The processes of large-scale atomic displacements induced by electronic excitations were studied using the selective vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy method. The coexistence of intrinsic excitonic mechanism and extrinsic Rydberg state induced excited-state mechanism of Frenkel defect formation was found.