On Sun, Feb 10, 2013 at 1:24 PM, David Roberson <[email protected]> wrote:
One would think that hydrogen and its isotopes would be able to slip easily > through a metal crystal if ionized. > Counterintuitively, I think the mean free path of a proton or deuteron in a metal is shorter than that of H or D, with electrons, if I remember correctly. If true, I think this is because the ion interacts electromagnetically with the lattice atoms more than the shielded, nonionic species. Here I'm thinking of a projectile. The story may be different for protons or deuterons migrating under the influence of a potential. Eric
