Charged particle tracks in solids

Abstract

When energetic heavy ions such as fission fragments pass through some solids, linear trails of damage (tracks) mark their trajectories. This paper reviews the large number of experimental observations of track structure in solids and shows how the track-storing ability of a solid is related to the electronic excitation of the bombarding ion and to a number of physical properties of the solid. Two models, ‘The Electron Thermal Spike’ and ‘The Ion Explosion Spike’, proposed to account for track formation are considered in the light of these results. The final section reviews a number of practical applications of the track-forming process.