Ultra-fast luminescence in heavy-ion track-cores in insulators: Electron–hole plasma

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms Vol. 212; pp. 123 - 134
• Main Author: Kimura, Kazuie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.12.2003
• Subjects: 71.35.Cc; 61.80.Jh; 71.35.−y; 78.60.Ya; 78.45.+h
• ISSN: 0168-583X; 1872-9584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2003.09.008

Measurements of fast luminescence decays and time-resolved spectra reveal novel ultra-short-lived luminescence (several tens ps) in N-, Ar-, Kr- and Xe-ion irradiated single crystals of 12 kinds of alkali halides, two alkaline-earth halides, three oxides and one semiconductor, but no such luminescence by He-ion irradiation. The luminescence spectrum covers a region, from UV to VIS (in some oxides, from VUV). The luminescence efficiency is characterized by its super-linear increase to excitation density, non-tailing decay, sample dependence and temperature-insensitiveness. The luminescence can neither be attributed to known excited species nor to their interaction, but to vigorous interaction among dense electron–hole pairs, i.e. plasma.