Ion Beam Induced Spatio-temporal Structural Evolution of Materials: Accelerators for a New Technology Era

Time and spatially-resolved ion beam irradiation techniques play an important role in modifying the properties and patterning of several classes of materials. Over the past decade there has been a widespread reappraisal of fundamental quantum mechanical principles for their potential to be exploited in engineered devices for new functions. To improve utilization of these ion beam techniques for tuning material properties for quantum technologies requires the development of new experimental techniques and the refinement of theoretical models with an aim to deepen the understanding of radiation effects and ion interaction processes. Direct experimental access to the dynamics of radiation induced defects, from femto-seconds to seconds, has been elusive. Therefore this CRP is proposed to contribute towards greater understanding of the multi-scale dynamics of radiation effects created by ion beams in order to design materials with tailored responses to radiation, from radiation hardness to the engineering of desired defects.