We study the effects of radiation damage on structural changes in zircon. By simulating high-energy recoils, we observe polymerization, shear deformation, and unit-cell expansion, seen experimentally, and point to their origins. We find that the density of the damaged region is very nonuniform, increasing the from depleted core to the densified boundary. The densified boundary is stabilized by the creation of the polymerized phase. Shear deformation and unit-cell expansion arise from the interaction of the damage with the surrounding crystalline lattice.
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Trachenko et al. (2002) studied this question.
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