Temperature dependence of enthalpies and entropies of formation and migration of mono-vacancy in BCC iron

Entropies and enthalpies of vacancy formation and diffusion in BCC iron are calculated for each temperature directly from free-energies using phase-space trajectories obtained from spin-lattice dynamics simulations. Magnon contributions are found to be particularly substantial in the temperature regime near the α-β (ferro/para-magnetic) transition. Strong temperature dependence and singular behavior can be seen in this temperature regime, reflecting magnon softening effects. Temperature dependence of the lattice component in this regime is also much more significant compared to previous estimations based on Arrhenius-type fitting. Similar effects on activation processes involving other irradiation-produced defects in magnetic materials are expected. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.