ABSTRACT
The fates of the point-defects produced by particle irradiation, mechanical stress or high temperatures is central to an understanding to the development of defect clusters and extended microstructure. The formation of dislocation loops and the interaction between migrating point-defects and these loops and existing dislocation microstructure can have profound effects on, for example, the mechanical properties of structural metal alloys. An understanding of these complex defect mechanisms is often based on a knowledge of the vacancy or interstitial nature of dislocation loops.
