Debye Temperature and Quantum Diffusion of Hydrogen in Body-Centered Cubic Metals.

Diffusion of deuterium in potassium is studied herein. Mass transfer is controlled predominantly by the mechanism of overbarrier atomic jumps at temperatures 120-260 K and by the tunneling mechanism at 90-120 K. These results together with literature data allowed us to determine conditions under which the quantum diffusion of hydrogen in metals can be observed, which is a fundamental problem.