Stochastic annealing simulations provide a way of exploring the evolut
ion of displacement damage created by irradiation over large time and
distance scales while retaining explicit information on the spatial di
stribution of individual defects. In this article, the various stages
of defect production in displacement cascades and the models that are
applicable at each stage are discussed. The role of stochastic anneali
ng simulations as a link between molecular dynamics and reaction-rate
theory is illustrated by simulations of defect production in cascades
in copper.