Hyperfine Interactions of Defects in Metals

Abstract

Hyperfine methods are well established for investigations of solid state properties. There are fields of application, which most recently have developed themselves rather impetously, among them the subject of defects in metals. Information on defects have so far been extracted from macroscopic physical properties like electric resistivity or elastic modulus; in contrast to this the hyperfine methods permit a microscopic glance onto the defect behaviour. Structural and dynamical defect aspects originating from the close vicinity to the radioactive probe atoms as well as the identification of defects on an atomic scale are the main thrust of hyperfine investigations. Originally a handicap for the study of hyperfine interactions following ion implantation or nuclear reactions, the influence of lattice defects became more and more the subject of investigations using hyperfine methods. During the last few years, the method has proved to be a new sensitive tool for defect studies as indicated by the recent proceedings of the international conferences on hyperfine interactions (Uppsala, Sweden, 1974 [4.1]; Leuven, Belgium 1975 [4.2]; Madison, USA, 1977 [4.3]; Berlin, Germany, 1980 [4.4]). Though the defect characteristic hyperfine interaction can be measured by several techniques, the main body of results is obtained by the nuclear techniques like the Mossbauer effect, the perturbed angular correlation and perturbed angular distribution technique.