Lithium nanoparticles in lithium fluorite crystals

Using intensive optical absorption techniques we studied formation of lithium nanoparticles in LiF crystals under 60Co-?-irradiation in the dose range of 105?109 R at 300 K. At 106 R the F-center absorption band 4.95 eV grows up D>3 and splits into a symmetric doublet of narrow resonances similar to s1-metal nanoparticles surface plasmons. The maximal concentration 3.3?1017 cm?3 corresponds to ~14 nm distance between F-centers when they form F-F-pair and then M-center. Absorption band of divacancies 2.75 eV splits into triplet at > 107 R, when Lin nanoparticles 3.26 eV are formed. Twinned LiF lattice provides the defects ordering and assembling of Lin nanorods with the size of 8 nm related with the peak electric conductivity at 240?280 K.