| Abstract Scope |
Energetic ions deposit energy in solids through nuclear collisions and electronic excitations, shaping defect production, recovery, and microstructural evolution. This presentation will discuss atomistic modeling of radiation effects across metals, ceramics, insulators, and semiconductors, emphasizing how electronic effects modify atomic-scale damage. Examples from metallic systems will examine ionization, electronic stopping, and electron-phonon coupling as factors that influence cascade evolution, defect production, and clustering beyond classical molecular dynamics. Work on ceramics, insulators, and semiconductors will address electronic energy deposition, amorphization, ion-track formation, and defect annealing, highlighting how coupled electronic and nuclear energy-loss processes control damage and recovery pathways.
Work was supported by the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a US Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division. |