Heavy ion radiation damage annealing in track recording insulators and single activation energy model

Abstract

A variety of track recording insulators has been irradiated using heavy ion beams from 40Ca to 238U (energy range 10–18 MeVn) at the GSI UNILAC facility. Annealing data have been collected using a series of isothermal and isochronal experiments. The single activation energy model is proposed to explain the annealing kinetics of heavy ion radiation damage in track recording insulators. An empirical relation, Va = At−naexp(− EakT), expressing the annealing rate Va in terms of annealing time ta and temperature T, gives the best fit to data yielding a unique value of activation energy Ea Surprisingly, the concept of single activation energy as a unique property of the track recording insulators, both crystalline and amorphous, is vindicated, irrespective of the nature and energy of ion beam used for irradiation. Some interesting applications of our formulation are also discussed.