BCA Simulations

Binary Appriximation Collison (BCA), serves as a pragmatic approach to enhance the efficiency of simulating how high-energy ions, typically with kinetic energies in the kilo-electronvolt (keV) range or beyond, interact with solid materials in terms of their penetration depth and defect generation. In this method, the ion’s trajectory is simplified by assuming that it traverses through the material via a series of discrete, independent interactions with individual sample atoms (nuclei). In the intervals between these collisions, the ion is presumed to move along a straight path, experiencing electronic stopping power but not dissipating any energy during its interactions with the nuclei.

A straighaway description:

Imagine you’re at a crowded dance party. The dance floor is packed with people moving in all directions. Now, instead of trying to understand the intricate dance moves of each person, let’s focus on a simplified scenario: the binary dance collision.

In the binary collision approximation, we’re only concerned with what happens when two people collide with each other. We ignore the rest of the dancers for a moment and pay attention to these individual interactions. It’s like zooming in with a super-powerful camera lens on just two dancers.