A mesoscopic approach to point-defect clustering in solids during irradiation

Accumulation of point defects in solids during irradiation is often accompanied by self-organization processes which lead to point-defect clustering and thus to the formation of a spatially inhomogeneous defect structure. Within the framework of a mesoscopic phenomenological approach, the conditions for clustering of mobile point defects caused by their elastic interactions are studied. It is shown that differences between the elastic interaction of similar and that of dissimilar defects may lead to such clustering. Further, it is shown that the presence of impurities acting as traps for interstitials may promote the clustering process. The conditions for spatial clustering are studied for characteristic material parameters in order to predict experimental observations of this phenomenon in metals and ionic solids.