Electronic stopping power threshold of damage creation in yttrium iron garnet

Abstract
Electronic stopping power threshold of damage creation in yttrium iron garnet (YIG) has been determined by extrapolation using the known model for nuclear and electronic damage creation calibrated by 2 MeV alpha and 510 MeV argon irradiations respectively. This value is equal 4.5$1.0 keV/nm and its is three times lower than the dE/dx value at which chemical etching appears indicating that electronic stopping power damage can exist at very low value of dE/dx for non radiolytic insulating materials.