Crowdion–solute interactions: Analytical modelling and stochastic simulation

The interactions between point defects such as vacancies and self-interstitial atoms with solute atoms plays an important role in the evolution of the radiation damage microstructure. Alloys can suffer less void swelling, and exhibit reduced prismatic loop growth, compared with elemental metals, and this can be attributed to the solute atoms inhibiting point defect mobility. However, the microstructural evolution takes place on timescales inaccessible to electronic or atomistic methods, and high temperatures increase the complexity of Monte Carlo simulations, as more transitions become available, and more rates must be calculated. Here we present a combined analytical–numerical approach to model the stochastic evolution of the microstructure, focussing on the interactions between 〈111〉 crowdions and solute atoms in tungsten.