Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
The damage cross section velocity effect is studied in LiNbO3, Y3Fe5O12 and SiO2 α-quartz. The application of our thermal spike model reveals that the efficiency of track formation varies by a factor of two in the range of 2–4 MeV/nucleon. The effect is explained by the varying fraction of energy deposition to the lattice involving lattice ions.