A unified model of electron stopping and electron-phonon coupling to better understand radiation damage in zirconium

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Structural materials in nuclear power plants are continuously bombarded by high energy particles, namely, neutrons. These high-energy particles transfer a part of their momentum to atoms of which the material is composed, which in turn will collide with other atoms in the material. This is why structural materials age very differently in nuclear reactors in comparison to structural materials used in other types of power plants. In addition, these high-energy atoms will not only collide with other atoms' nuclei, but they will also be stopped by their electronic cloud. This is know as electron stopping. These types of atomic collisions and electron stopping cannot be directly observed by experiments, because of the very small length and time scales involved. Therefore, we rely on computer simulations to help us understand them. The purpose of this collaboration between Queen's University and the University of Tartu (Estonia) is to develop a state-of-the-art electron stopping model for zirconium, which is widely used as a structural material in Canadian nuclear reactors. Using this improved electron stopping models, we will be able to more accurately predict and quantify radiation-induced damage as it occurs during nuclear power production in Canada.