Charged‐Particle Irradiation for Neutron Radiation Damage Studies

Abstract

The use of energetic charged‐particles are a useful experimental method for producing and studying radiation damage. In addition to producing displacement damage via Coulomb‐moderated ballistic collisions, charged‐particles can also be used to implant specific elements thus changing the chemical and compositional nature of the target material. Charged particle beam studies of radiation damage result in specimens that are usually not any more radioactive than prior to the irradiation. The specific aspect of charged‐particle irradiations that makes them a powerful tool for studying the physics of radiation damage accumulation is the high displacement and implantation rates and that the experimenter can vary important variables of the radiation environment. These include the energy and mass of the charged‐particle, the atomic number of the ion, the temperature, the dose and dose rate, and the mechanical stress of the specimen under test. Experiments can be designed to identify and understand the key mechanisms of radiation damage accumulation. Most importantly, the understanding gained from such experiments can inform and validate models that are then used to make science‐based predictions about material performance under other radiation conditions such as those encountered in a fission reactor or as might be expected in a fusion reactor. Particularly, useful examples of charged‐particle irradiation studies are those experiments that follow the growth of helium bubbles and cavities resulting from the combination of helium implantation and displacement damage

Radiation Damage of Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels Studied by Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy—A Review

“…%, respectively. Very inconvenient handling with neutron irradiated specimens, connected to the hot-cells cutting and polishing, turned the approach of our research to accelerating of irradiation via the experimental simulation by proper utilization of the light ion (hydrogen and helium) implantations [8][9][10][11].…”

Effect of Xe26+ ion irradiation on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of Zr–1Nb at room and high temperature

“…These cladding materials experience microstructural evolution and mechanical properties changes under fast neutron irradiation in reactors. It is not easy to characterize the post neutron irradiation samples with residual activation [1]. During neutron irradiation, dislocation loops and cavities are induced in zirconium alloys [2], and these defects result in strength increase, loss of fracture toughness and irradiation induced growth [3].…”

Toward high-energy laser-driven ion beams: Nanostructured double-layer targets

“…with a rotating support [33]). Proton beams with energy in the 10-30 MeV may already find application in several fields [34][35][36][37]. Further enhancement could be obtained by optimizing foam parameters, for example by further reducing the average foam density [13,15].…”