Basic restrictions for theories of ion-induced track formation: ignored relationships between experimental data

Ion-induced track data are analyzed without the application of any model for revealing the existing relationships between them. Published data are completed with some new ones. Prethinned Y3Fe5O12 samples were irradiated by C60 ions with 3.5, 5 and 7 MeV energy. Track radii Re were measured by electron microscopy. It was derived from the data that the electronic (Se) and nuclear stopping (Sn) powers are combined as αSe+βSn when they have a simultaneous effect. α=0.45 was derived from experiments on Y3Fe5O12. When using larger database α varies in the range 0.4>α>0.17 with increasing ion energy that is valid for monoatomic irradiations as well, and this is the origin of the reduction of Re with the increasing ion energy in insulators. A Gaussian relationship exists between melting temperatures Tm and track radii in track forming insulators for Se/N=constant (N – atomic number density). Due to this Tm is the unique controlling materials parameter for the track size. Consequences for the parameters of the induced temperature distributions are discussed. The conclusions were deduced directly from the raw experimental data, therefore, the derived relationships should be followed by any theoretical model