Atomic-force-microscopic observations of dissolution of mica at sites penetrated by keV/nucleon ions

Abstract
With atomic-force microscopy we studied etch pits in muscovite mica that was irradiated with 200-keV Ag ions and with recoiling daughter atoms emitted in alpha decay. Etching occurs by initiation of 1-nm-high steps at the point of intersection of an ion’s trajectory with the basal plane and by their subsequent spreading. Along some crystallographic directions in the basal plane, steps are observed to be paired, with a height of 2 nm; in other directions they remain separate. Possible future applications include alpha-recoil geochronology and searches for hypothetical dark-matter particles.

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