CaF 2 crystals as representatives of the class of ionic nonamorphizable insulators were irradiated with many different swift heavy ions of energy above 0.5 MeV/u providing a broad range of electronic energy losses (S e ). Beam-induced modifications were characterized by Channeling Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (C-RBS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD), complemented by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results from C-RBS give evidence of significant damage appearing above a S e threshold of 5 ± 2 keV/nm. A second critical S e appears around 18 ± 3 keV/nm; below this value the damage as function of ion fluence saturates at 20%, while above this the damage saturation level increases with S e , reaching ∼60% for ions of S e = 30 keV/nm. XRD measurements also show effects indicating two threshold values. Above 5 keV/nm, the widths of the XRD reflection peaks increase due to the formation of nanograins, as seen by TEM, while a significant decrease of the peak areas only occurs above 18 keV/nm. The track radii deduced from C-RBS measurements are in agreement with those extracted from the fluence evolution of the widths of the XRD peaks. Moreover, track radii deduced from the peak area analysis are slightly smaller but in agreement with previous track observations by high resolution electron microscopy. Calculations based on the inelastic thermal spike model suggest that the lower threshold at 5 keV/nm is linked to the quenching of the molten phase, whereas the threshold at 18 keV/nm can be interpreted as quenching of the boiling phase. The results of CaF 2 are compared with other nonamorphizable materials such as LiF and UO 2 .
A recent breakthrough in the analysis of Nd IV resulted in the establishment of 37 energy levels of the ground configuration 4f3. We report here the completion to all 41 levels of this configuration. Wavelength measurements extended to 2800 Å and in higher excitation conditions lead to the classification of 1426 lines involving the excited configurations 4f25d, 4f26p, 4f26s. Owing to configuration mixing between 5p64f26p and the core-excited 5p54f4, numerous 5p64f25d–5p54f4 transitions, normally dipole-forbidden, are observed. Altogether 111 odd parity levels and 121 even parity ones have been established. Their parametric least-squares fits have rms deviations of 91 cm−1 and 37 cm−1, respectively. The interaction 5p64f25d–5p54f35d has an impact on the 4f3–4f25d transition probabilities computed by means of the Cowan codes. Theoretical values of lifetimes are reported for all the even parity levels.
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