Comment on 'Atomistic simulation of cross-slip processes in model fcc structures'

Recently Rao et al. (1999, Phil. Mag. A, 79, 1167) claimed reasonable agree ment between their results for cross-slip activation energies (CSAEs) in Ni (from atomistic simulation) and in Cu (from scaling of the Ni result) and experimental results. Furthermore, the atomistic result for Cu by Rasmussen et al. (1997, Phys. Rev. B, 56, 2977) was described as deviating 'signific antly' from theirs. This comment demonstrates that Rao et al.'s scaling app roach is too simple and that it is possible to obtain good agreement betwee n atomistic estimates of CSAEs with a more accurate, yet still approximate, scaling approach. It is noted that no experimentally derived value for the CSAE in Ni has been published.