The dimensions of latent ion damage tracks

A new model for the formation of ion damage tracks in dielectric solids permits the dimensions of the microscopic structure of the latent tracks to be calculated. In this model the formation of the damage is initiated at separate points along the track by the Auger decay of vacancies produced by the ion in inner electronic shells of atoms of the insulator. Each decay produces an intense, localized source of charge, whose interaction with the more uniform ionization of the loosely bound electrons along the ion's path causes the atomic motion that results in the damage. Available data on cellulose triacetate and mica are in excellent agreement with the predictions of the model