Surface chemistry in ion-induced desorption

Abstract

A new aspect of track formation in solids by high energy ions is the phenomenon of ion desorption from the surface of the track. Experimental evidence points to the notion that a thermal spike attaining a transient temperature of 10 4 K is formed. In this paper a suggestion is offered that the ions that form are the result of condensed phase surface chemistry in the high energy short-time domain. Some elementary considerations are offered on how the processes might be treated within the framework of classical chemical thermodynamics and kinetics.