Mobility of Interstitial Atoms in a Face-Centered Metal

Abstract

Calculation of the energies of interstitial atoms in copper have been carried through in some detail using a free-electron model and approximating the repulsion of closed shells with a Born-Mayer potential. Alternate choices of constants in this potential have been employed to explore the extent of the associated uncertainty. Results show that interstitials require an activation energy of about \textonequarter{} ev or less for motion. Applications to various current experiments are pointed out.