Defects arising in the low-temperature deformation of copper

Data from measurements of the electrical resistance were used to study the accumulation of crystal lattice defects during plastic deformation at 4.2 °K and their recovery during annealing in the case of polycrystalline copper. It is shown that the rate of strain in the range 2.5 × 10 −5 − 2.5 × 10−2 sec−1 has no effect on the resistivity increment. A disproportionate increase was observed in the concentration of point defects and the dislocation density as the rate of strain increases. It is established that the ratio of the dislocation portion of the electrical resistance to the dislocation density is independent of the latter. Observations revealed the complex nature of the recovery of the electrical resistance during isochronous annealing of copper strongly strained at 4.2 °K.