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Ion track formation via electric-field-enhanced energy deposition

Zikang Ge1,*, Jinhao Hu1,*, Shengyuan Peng1, Wei Kang2, Xiaofei Shen3, Yanbo Xie4,†, and Jianming Xue1,2,‡

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: ybxie@nwpu.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: jmxue@pku.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023013 – Published 6 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/gzzl-dxs9

Abstract

High-energy ion irradiation deposits extreme energy in a narrow range (∼1–10 nm) along ion trajectories in solid through electronic energy loss, producing unique irradiation effects such as ion tracks. However, intrinsic velocity effects impose an upper limit on electronic energy loss that cannot be overcome by adjusting irradiation parameters. We introduce a method using electric fields during irradiation to enhance nanoscale energy deposition by accelerating ion-excited electrons within subpicosecond timescales. Our extended field-enhanced thermal spike model quantitatively describes this enhancement and predicts a significant reduction in the electronic energy loss required for ion track formation in amorphous SiO2, which is in excellent agreement with experimental observations. This work provides an approach to control energy deposition during irradiation and boosts the wide application of ion tracks in material modification and nanoengineering to much broader extents.

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 023013– Published 6 April, 2026
  • Received 4 June 2025
  • Accepted 7 December 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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