A review was presented of ion-induced damage in alkali halides, with particular attention being paid to Frenkel defect creation by the decay of excitons. The exciton mechanism was analyzed for radiation damage creation in LiF crystals under 136.7MeV 209Bi and 11.4MeV 238U ion bombardment to fluences of up to 5 x 109/cm2. It was found that, in both cases, F and F2 centers were the predominant electronic defects in the tracks. It was noted that the U tracks could be etched whereas, after irradiation with Bi ions, no track etching occurred.

K.Schwartz: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 1996, 107[1-4], 128-32