Silica luminescence induced by fast light ions

Silica luminescence induced by hydrogen and helium ions of 200 keV–2.4 MeV was experimentally studied in the near ultraviolet and visible wavelength ranges. The luminescence spectrum consists of three asymmetric wide bands with maxima at wavelengths of 282, 456 and 644–648 nm. For nonirradiated silica, it was shown that the spectral shape depends on observation angle, ion species and energy. The changes in the spectra and relations between light intensity of luminescence and both absorption dose and observation angle were determined. Differences in ionoluminescence spectra measured for molecular and atomic hydrogen ions were observed, i.e. the so-called “molecular effect” was found. The influence of different beam parameters (incidence angle, ion species and energy) on indicatrix at a wavelength of 456 nm was found for nonirradiated silica. The applications of ionoluminescence measurements for distant monitoring of silica irradiation processes are discussed.