Abstract

Noble gases, such as Xe, Kr, He, have a very low solubility in many materials used in both fission and fusion energy applications.  As such, these impurity elements tend to agglomerate and form small bubbles that affect the irradiation behavior of the material.  This talk will explore the primary mechanisms that underlie the observed behavior of these gases in irradiated materials, as well as the synergistic role that the gases play in microstructural evolution and deformation behavior.  In addition, several aspects of difficulties associated in extrapolating observations of bubble behavior during ion implantation experiments to in-reactor behavior are discussed.

BIO

Senior Physicist, Argonne National Laboratory (Retired)

Dr. Rest’s research interests center on understanding the irradiation behavior of materials.  He has devoted his research efforts toward the development of mechanistic models for the behavior of inert gases and irradiation-produced defects and impurities, and the role that these phenomena play in microstructural evolution and deformation behavior.