video: This is a simulation of the molecular dynamics in copper at the nanoscale, demonstrating the collision cascade that occurs when the material is bombarded with radiation over a picoseconds time scale. The collision begins below the grain boundary in the copper, scattering atoms out of their usual arrangement in the crystal structure, Vacancies or “holes” in the structure are characterized by a cluster of 12 defective atoms. This video relates to an article that appeared in the March 26, 2010, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. X.M. Bai of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., and colleagues, was titled, "Efficient Annealing of Radiation Damage Near Grain Boundaries via Interstitial Emission." view more
Credit: Video courtesy of Los Alamos National Laboratory