Heating of crystalline and amorphous metals under swift heavy ion irradiation

Tracks were observed in amorphous metals irradiated by swift multi-charged ions (MCI). However, tracks were not revealed if the amorphous metal target had been preliminary annealed. The present paper is devoted to an interpretation of experimental data, revealing ion tracks in iron-boron alloy only if the metal was in amorphous state. Using a hot electron plasma model, peculiarities of amorphous metals, can be explained. The track damage induced by melting should be observed in amorphous metals, where the rate of the electron energy transfer to the lattice is higher than in single crystals. In amorphous solids the local structure is changed after thermal annealing from disordered to crystalline, which leads to the creation of a periodic potential. Therefore, in such annealed amorphous metals swift MCI tracks should not be created.