Abstract
The times t* needed for noble gas crystals to reach the equilibrium state as a result of thermal motion of atoms upon temperature lowering during a nearly equilibrium process were calculated. The t* value was determined by solving a differential equation describing equalization of vacancy concentrations in a spherical sample of radius R. Upon temperature decrease, the t* values exponentially increase. As the sample radius R decreases, the time t* exponentially decreases. However, the tendency of t* to increase upon temperature lowering overrides the effect of decreasing sample size; therefore, there always exists a temperature range in which the diffusion is almost completely frozen.
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