Persistent mobile lattice excitations in a crystalline insulator (Q2430210)

In crystals of muscovite the tracks of high energy charged particles are examined. Also the mobile lattice excitations created by atomic scattering are observed. These latter ones are interpreted as a type of breather, here called quodon. The typical energy of a quodon can be found from the decay of K\(^{40}\) atoms in the crystal and supports their interpretation as a type of breather. In turn, this establishes a unique signature for energetic quodons, the ``Klinked-line'' tracks, allowing discrimination against tracks formed by changed particles. Further, the stability of quodons against crystal defects and thermal motion is considered. The measurements show that energetic quodon tracks may reveal flight paths up to 530 mm, and they can propagate more than \(10^9\) unit cells without any evident energy loss. This suggests that quodons might persist indefinitely in certain crystals of high quality. On this ground, evidence is presented for a new type of mobile lattice excitation that is capable of creating energetic quodons, which also themselves, are stable against lattice defects. The possible practical applications of quodons are considered briefly. Some considerations are given concerning the role of quodons in inducing fusion of deuterium or tritium.