Photo- and thermally stimulated relaxation processes in pre-irradiated atomic solids

Atomic and electronic relaxation processes in pre-irradiated atomic solids are considered using preliminary irradiated by an electron beam solid Ar as an example. The results of real-time-correlated study are presented for the first time with an accent on recently found anomalous low-temperature sputtering of Ar atoms from the surface. The experiments were performed using a set of activation spectroscopy methods—thermally stimulated exoelectron emission (TSEE) thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) in combination with measurements of the sputtering yield. Solid evidence of thermally induced charge recombination mechanism is obtained. Mechanism of energy transfer based on the crowdion model is discussed. Photo-stimulated sputtering from pre-irradiated rare gas solids (RGS) is predicted.