Ion induced track formation mechanism in apatite

A number of concepts of how ion induced tracks (fission tracks) form in solids has been suggested over the past decade. The ion explosion spike model - generally thought to be the track forming mechanism in inorganic solids - is based on the idea that lattice instability could result from the creation of adjacent ions of like sign. The present contribution intends to draw attention to the fact that this general model has to be modified in order to be applicable to a specific mineral. For instance, in describing the radiation damage in apatite it seems to be more appropriate to invoke the Pooley-Hersh model for alkali halides. Implications of the application of this model to fission track formation in apatite are discussed. (author)