Swift heavy ion-beam induced amorphization and recrystallization of yttrium iron garnet.

Pure and (Ca and Si)-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Y3Fe5O12 or YIG) epitaxial layers and amorphous films on gadolinium gallium garnet (Gd3Ga5O12, or GGG) single crystal substrates were irradiated by 50 MeV (32)Si and 50 MeV (or 60 MeV) (63)Cu ions for electronic stopping powers larger than the threshold value (~4 MeV µm(-1)) for amorphous track formation in YIG crystals. Conductivity data of crystalline samples in a broad ion fluence range (10(11)-10(16) cm(-2)) are modeled with a set of rate equations corresponding to the amorphization and recrystallization induced in ion tracks by electronic excitations. The data for amorphous layers confirm that a recrystallization process takes place above ~10(14) cm(-2). Cross sections for both processes deduced from this analysis are discussed in comparison to previous determinations with reference to the inelastic thermal-spike model of track formation. Micro-Raman spectroscopy was also used to follow the related structural modifications. Raman spectra show the progressive vanishing and randomization of crystal phonon modes in relation to the ion-induced damage. For crystalline samples irradiated at high fluences (⩾10(14) cm(-2)), only two prominent broad bands remain like for amorphous films, thereby reflecting the phonon density of states of the disordered solid, regardless of samples and irradiation conditions. The main band peaked at ~660 cm(-1) is assigned to vibration modes of randomized bonds in tetrahedral (FeO4) units.

Unusual behaviour of a very narrow electron spin resonance signal.

Unusually narrow electron spin resonance lines can give birth to spectacular and interesting phenomena. We use here very pure lithium metal colloids created in electron-irradiated LiF, giving rise to a very narrow Li metal line. In these samples, three interesting phenomena are discussed and interpreted: signal saturation in particularly good conditions; oscillations appearing on strongly overmodulated lines; signal bistability, when the signal shape seems to depend on the sample magnetic history.

Sodium selenide toxicity is mediated by O2-dependent DNA breaks.

Hydrogen selenide is a recurrent metabolite of selenium compounds. However, few experiments studied the direct link between this toxic agent and cell death. To address this question, we first screened a systematic collection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae haploid knockout strains for sensitivity to sodium selenide, a donor for hydrogen selenide (H(2)Se/HSe(-/)Se(2-)). Among the genes whose deletion caused hypersensitivity, homologous recombination and DNA damage checkpoint genes were over-represented, suggesting that DNA double-strand breaks are a dominant cause of hydrogen selenide toxicity. Consistent with this hypothesis, treatment of S. cerevisiae cells with sodium selenide triggered G2/M checkpoint activation and induced in vivo chromosome fragmentation. In vitro, sodium selenide directly induced DNA phosphodiester-bond breaks via an O(2)-dependent reaction. The reaction was inhibited by mannitol, a hydroxyl radical quencher, but not by superoxide dismutase or catalase, strongly suggesting the involvement of hydroxyl radicals and ruling out participations of superoxide anions or hydrogen peroxide. The (•)OH signature could indeed be detected by electron spin resonance upon exposure of a solution of sodium selenide to O(2). Finally we showed that, in vivo, toxicity strictly depended on the presence of O(2). Therefore, by combining genome-wide and biochemical approaches, we demonstrated that, in yeast cells, hydrogen selenide induces toxic DNA breaks through an O(2)-dependent radical-based mechanism.

Thermo-stimulated luminescence of x-ray- and alpha-irradiated yttria-stabilized zirconia.

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO2 : Y3+) single crystals (with 9.5 mol% Y2O3) were irradiated with x-rays and α particles. Thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) data show a main broad peak centred at ∼500-550 K in the glow curves of all irradiated samples. The TSL peak maximum temperature is consistent with the characteristic recovery temperature (∼450 K) of colour centres (T centres) deduced from isochronal annealing curves measured by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. However, the trap-depth energies (ranging between 0.8 and 1.2 eV) deduced from the initial rise of partially cleaned TSL peaks (and from a rough approximation using Urbach's formula) are much larger than the activation energies for defect recovery of 0.3 eV deduced from the EPR data. A second TSL peak centred at ∼350-450 K found in freshly irradiated samples is seen to decay substantially in aged samples. The processes involved in TSL are discussed in relation to the defect annealing processes, and available defect-level energy and TSL data.

Point defects induced in yttria-stabilized zirconia by electron and swift heavy ion irradiations.

We present an extensive study of point-defect creation in yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO(2):Y) exposed to 2.5 MeV electrons and various heavy ions (from C to U) covering an energy range from 100 MeV to several GeV. A synthesis of results from UV-visible optical absorption spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy is provided with special emphasis on the respective roles of elastic collisions and electronic excitations. The colour centre production and recovery are the main focus in this survey. It is concluded that F(+)-type centres (involving singly ionized oxygen vacancies) are produced by elastic-collision processes. The large threshold displacement energy and defect volume hint that these colour centres might actually be small paramagnetic oxygen vacancy clusters, most probably divacancies (i.e. F(2)(+) centres). Such a picture is consistent with the (100) axial symmetry, inhomogeneous broadening of the optical absorption band, lack of hyperfine splitting, and weak spin-lattice coupling found for this defect.

Thermo-stimulated luminescence of ion-irradiated yttria-stabilized zirconia.

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO(2):Y(3+)) single crystals (with 9.5 mol% Y(2)O(3)) were irradiated with ions (from 1 MeV He to 2.6 GeV U). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) data show that two kinds of colour centres (F(+)-type and T centres) are produced. Thermo-stimulated luminescence (TSL) data exhibit a quite strong peak at ∼ 500-550 K in the glow curves of all irradiated samples regardless of the ion species and energy. Moreover, the 3D-TSL measurements reveal that this peak is correlated with a light emission at a wavelength of ∼ 620 nm (i.e. photon energy ∼ 2 eV). The TSL peak maximum temperatures are consistent with characteristic temperatures of about 500 K of annealing stages of colour centres. However, the trap-depth energies (ranging between 0.7 and 1.4 eV) deduced from the initial rise of partially cleaned TSL peaks, or from a rough approximation using Urbach's formula, are rather larger than the activation energies for defect recovery, ranging between 0.3 and 0.7 eV, as deduced from the EPR data. The processes involved in TSL are discussed in relation to available photoluminescence and defect energy-level data.

Generation of colour centres in yttria-stabilized zirconia by heavy ion irradiations in the GeV range.

We have studied the colour centre production in yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO(2):Y(3 +)) by heavy ion irradiation in the GeV range using on-line UV-visible optical absorption spectroscopy. Experiments were performed with 11.4 MeV amu(-1) (127)Xe, (197)Au, (208)Pb and (238)U ion irradiations at 8 K or room temperature (RT). A broad and asymmetrical absorption band peaked at a wavelength about 500 nm is recorded regardless of the irradiation parameters, in agreement with previous RT irradiations with heavy ions in the 100 MeV range. This band is de-convoluted into two broad Gaussian-shaped bands centred at photon energies about 2.4 and 3.1 eV that are respectively associated with the F(+)-type centres (involving a singly ionized oxygen vacancy, VO· and T centres (i.e. Zr(3+) in a trigonal symmetry) observed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In the case of 8 K Au ion irradiation at low fluences, six bands are used at about 1.9, 2.3, 2.7, 3.1 and 4.0 eV. The three bands near 2.0-2.5 eV can be assigned to oxygen divacancies (i.e. F(2)(+) centres). No significant effect of the irradiation temperature is found on the widths of all absorption bands for the same ion and fluence. This is attributed to the inhomogeneous broadening arising from the static disorder due to the native charge-compensating oxygen vacancies. However, the colour centre production yield is strongly enhanced at 8 K with respect to RT. When heating irradiated samples from 8 K to RT, the extra colour centres produced at low temperature do not recover completely to the level of RT irradiation. The latter results are accounted for by an electronically driven defect recovery process.