Direct determination of the self-diffusion mechanism in bccβ-titanium

Abstract
With quasielastic neutron scattering the elementary diffusion jump (length and direction) and the jump frequency in bcc β-Ti single crystals have been determined at temperatures between 1460 and 1580 °C. Supplementary measurements on polycrystalline samples extended the temperature region down to 1100 °C. The elementary diffusion jump is a jump into a nearest-neighbor vacancy. An admixture of 1015 % jumps into next-nearest-neighbor vacancies is compatible with the experiments. Comparison of derived diffusivities with results from tracer measurements shows satisfactory agreement.