An analysis was presented of the time-evolution of self-interstitial atom and vacancy populations in pure body-centered cubic metals under constant irradiation flux conditions. Mean-field rate equations were developed in parallel with a kinetic Monte Carlo model. Upon considering only the elementary processes of defect production, defect migration, recombination and absorption at sinks, the kinetic Monte Carlo model and rate equations were shown to be equivalent, and the time evolution of the point defect populations was analyzed by using simple scaling arguments. It was shown that the typically large mismatch of the rates of interstitial and vacancy migration in body-centred cubic metals could lead to a vacancy population that grew as the square root of time. The vacancy cluster size distribution, under both irreversible and reversible attachment, could be described by a simple exponential function. The effect of highly mobile interstitial clusters was also considered and the model was applied, using parameters appropriate for V and α-Fe.

Point Defect Dynamics in BCC Metals. J.Rottler, D.J.Srolovitz, R.Car: Physical Review B, 2005, 71[6], 064109 (12pp)