Multiscale modelling of irradiation in nanostructures

Ion and electron irradiation can be used to modify not only conventional materials such as silicon, but also nanostructures. This opens up exciting possibilities for basic science studies of how materials behave under an external force driving them off equilibrium, and creating new kinds of nanostructures of potential application interest. Radiation effects are almost without exception a multiscale phenomenon, and hence modelling them theoretically requires the use of multiple different levels of simulation tools. In this Article we discuss the multiscale modelling framework relevant for modelling nanoscale phenomena, review briefly the most widely used modelling tools relevant for them, and present some recent examples of their use.