Electric charge in irradiated dielectrics, and their properties

The formation of a space charge in dielectrics under the influence of ionising radiation (one of the fundamental effects stimulated by the irradiation of solids) is discussed. An increasing interest in this problem has been generated by the wide use of powerful sources of ionising radiation in both science and technology. Radioactive dielectrics, i.e., highly resistive solids of various nature (glasses, crystalline compounds, ceramics, etc.), containing a permanent source of ionising radiation (radionuclides) occupy a special place in this field of study. These materials are used, for example, for the treatment and consolidation of nuclear waste in atomic technology. It has been experimentally established that the properties of irradiated dielectrics are affected not only by the presence of space charge resulting from the permanent self-irradiation but also by the from of the charge distribution in the volume of the dielectric. Examples of the relationship between the volume charging of radioactive and of irradiated dielectrics and the characteristics of the materials such as their dissolution kinetics, mechanical and electrophysical properties, redistribution of the energy absorbed from the ionising radiation, etc., are discussed. The bibliography includes 42 references.