A study of neutron damage in be-doped copper

Abstract

The experiments of Mclntyre (1957) on the nature of the defects induced by fast neutrons in copper have been repeated, and confirm his result. It is shown that the addition of a small amount of beryllium to the copper does not affect the visible loop density, although beryllium is known to trap interstitials. It is concluded that the interstitial loops cannot be nucleated by the random collisions of free interstitials, but that some other process such as prismatic punching in the thermal spike must be responsible for their creation. Our work provides considerable support for the earlier conclusions of Makin, Whapham and Minter (1962 ).