Abstract
The optical properties of damaged periodic and aperiodic domains created by and implantation of zircon were studied using micro-infrared (IR) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The and irradiations caused a dramatic decrease in the IR reflectivity similar to that observed for metamict natural zircon. The irradiation with ions (to fluences of ) also results in the formation of an amorphized phase similar to that observed in metamict zircon. These results show that high-energy, heavy-ion irradiations provide a good simulation of the ballistic effects of the recoil nucleus of an alpha-decay event and, in both cases, the result is the creation of aperiodic domains. Additional IR and Raman features were recorded in samples irradiated with ions (to fluences of and ), indicating the formation of an irradiation-induced additional phase(s). The frequencies of the features are consistent with lead silicates, , and . The results show that spectral features of the - and -irradiated zircon are different from those of quenched melts, and the finding further confirms that the amorphous state produced by high-energy ion irradiations is structurally different from the glassy state that results from quenching a high temperature melt. In contrast to significant changes in the frequency and width of the Raman band observed in metamict zircon, the and irradiations do not cause similar variations, indicating that the remaining zircon crystalline domains in irradiated samples have a crystalline structure with fewer defects than those of metamict zircon.
2 More- Received 10 October 2007
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.77.144110
©2008 American Physical Society