This post-doctoral project aims to better understand irradiation creep process. While multiple mechanisms have been proposed, their validity remains debated. Irradiation generates atomic defects (vacancies, interstitials) that diffuse, agglomerate into clusters (e.g., dislocation loops), or interact with microstructural features. Recent TEM observations in stressed pure aluminum at room temperature revealed that interstitial dislocation loops form preferentially in specific crystallographic planes, suggesting a mechanism that may explain primary creep.

The research aims to:
- Study loop growth and orientation under electron irradiation at higher temperatures. Experiments at CEMES (Toulouse) will be paired with object kinetic Monte Carlo (OKMC) simulations.
- Extend findings to ion irradiation (closer to neutron damage), where loops form directly in collision cascades. In-situ TEM at JANNuS-Orsay and molecular dynamics coupled to OKMC will be used for this purpose.
- Explore alternative creep mechanisms, based on dislocation-loop interactions, stress-assisted glide, and helical climb formation, using TEM and electron tomography.