Nanoacoustic Defect Manipulation in Solids

Within a nanoscale volume, an acoustic wave interacts with radiation defects in ionic solids. The radiation-induced optical absorption in ionic crystals is remarkably removed by a room-temperature ultrasonic treatment of the crystals. It is shown that the effect can be explained by defect migration processes occurring in ultrasonic fields. The inter-ion charge exchange, termed as acoustically-stimulated chemical reaction, is furthermore suggested to occur affecting the defect migration. This new method of a cold annealing of radiation defects in solids can be regarded as nanoacoustic defect manipulation.