Damage accumulation studies in ion-irradiated oxides: Current status and new perspectives

Abstract The main purpose of this paper is to summarize our results obtained during research on the radiation behavior of oxides. The paper presents various methods of damage accumulation in irradiated oxides with the special emphasis on correlations between channeling, luminescence and Raman spectroscopy measurements as well as the possibility to obtain quantitative data on polycrystalline materials. The results are interpreted in terms of Multi Step Damage Accumulation model. Without pretending to give a full review of the current trends concerning these studies, we intend to present both a reflection about recent results and a few options for next investigations. This article can thus be regarded as the opening of a discussion on further directions of the research to be conducted on the topic of radiation damage formation in advanced materials for nuclear applications.