Self-trapping of helium in metals

Atomistic calculations are presented which demonstrate that helium atoms in a metal lattice are able to cluster with each other, producing vacancies and nearby self-interstitial defects. Even a small number of helium atoms is found to be sufficient to create these large distortions. As few as five interstitial helium atoms can spontaneously produce a lattice vacancy and nearby self-interstitial. An eight-helium-atom cluster gives rise to two such defects, and 16 helium atoms to more than five self-interstitial vacancy pairs. It was noted that the self-interstitials prefer to agglomerate on the same "side" of the helium cluster rather than to spread themselves out uniformly. The binding energy of each additional helium atom to these clusters increases with helium concentration and the trap is apparently unsaturable. A rate theory using these atomistic binding energies has been used to calculate the kinetics of helium-bubble nucleation and growth. The results are consistent with measurements of the properties of helium resulting from tritium decay.