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arXiv · 2512.15132

Surface-mediated reduction of ion-irradiation-induced damage in tungsten revealed by advanced ion channeling analysis

Xin Jin·Fredric Granberg·Kai Nordlund·Sabina Markelj·Esther Punzón-Quijorna·Flyura Djurabekova
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Abstract

Tungsten is a leading candidate material for plasma-facing components in future fusion reactors. In this work, we integrate advanced ion channeling analysis with large-scale molecular dynamics simulations to uncover a pronounced surface-mediated reduction of radiation damage in single-crystal tungsten at elevated temperatures. We demonstrate how our unique analysis method can clearly resolve a dislocation-free zone near the surface and a transition region with suppressed defect density before reaching the bulk value. A possible explanation for the strong surface effect at elevated temperatures can be obtained by considering the coherent drift motion of dislocation loops toward the surface.

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Xin Jin, Fredric Granberg, Kai Nordlund, Sabina Markelj, Esther Punzón-Quijorna, Flyura Djurabekova. 2025-12-17. Surface-mediated reduction of ion-irradiation-induced damage in tungsten revealed by advanced ion channeling analysis. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.15132

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