Transformation and accumulation of energy in solids under irradiation of low and intense beams of charged particles

Full text: All observed phenomenon under irradiation are determined by processes of energy transformation in matter. Such processes are depended on: (1) parameters of irradiation source; (2) characteristics of medium of irradiation; (3) initial properties of matter. We proposed the universal scheme of transformation and accumulation of energy in solids under all types of irradiation, where radiation-stimulated processes and structural and phase damages, that cause the observed modifications of all the properties of solid materials, have been analyzed on the basis of a unified concept of a radiation energy distribution in matter. This scheme is included 33 blocks with their detail explanations that allow seeing possible channels of energy redistribution in temporal sequence from the beginning of irradiation till the formation of stable structures. Their main blocks are reflected excitation of electron and atomic subsystems, generation of point, linear and volume defects, plasma ablation, generation of acoustic and shock waves, different types of diffusion, mass transfer, formation of thermal and deformation fields, fracture and hardening. For example we demonstrate the possibilities of this scheme for the explanation two unique non-linear log-range phenomenon, created by super dense collective energy excitation in electron and atomic subsystems of solids in macro volumes by intense-pulsed-electron (IPEB) and ion (IPIB) beams with short pulses ∼10-8-10-6 s, middle intensities ∼10-8-10-9 W/cm2 and energy fluences 1-50 J/cm2/pulse: (1) brittle fracture under IPEB irradiation; (2) hardening at high depth of metals, alloys and multilayers exposed to IPIB and IPEB. The energy densities of such excitations (∼10-104 J/cm3) are close to ones in micro volumes: in channels of electric breakdowns and in the tracks of heavy charged particles. We analyze the structure, physical and chemical properties, and radiation damages of modified layers with modern nuclear physic methods. Complex physical nature of phenomenon includes plasma, thermal and mechanical processes with different structure-phase transformations in a very short time of response. The stable hardening has been observed in irradiated α-Fe, Al, Cu, W, Be, Pb and R6M5 instrumental steel not only in near-surface layers, but also at high depths, which were one or two orders more than ion beam range. Long-range effects were also observed for multilayers. After previous coating of α-Fe an irradiated surface with a thin 0.1 μm layer of Ta or Mo and IPEB irradiation the increasing of microhardness, wear and corrosion resistance were registered at the same depths. The physics of IPIB and IPEB interaction with solids is treated, where possible, on the atomic, micro, and macro levels. The possible mechanisms of long-range effects and their kinetic models, including energy accumulation, shock wave generation and plasma ablation, have been proposed and used for interpretation of experimental data. Some applications of these effects for technologies of hardening, increasing of wear and corrosion resistance and creation of special materials for microsystems are under consideration