Electronic excitations and luminescence of SrMgF4 single crystals

The electronic and crystal structures of SrMgF₄ single crystals grown by the Bridgman method have been investigated. The undoped SrMgF₄ single crystals have been studied using low-temperature (T = 10 K) time-resolved fluorescence optical and vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy under selective excitation by synchrotron radiation (3.7–36.0 eV). Based on the measured reflectivity spectra and calculated spectra of the optical constants, the following parameters of the electronic structure have been determined for the first time: the minimum energy of interband transitions E _g = 12.55 eV, the position of the first exciton peak E _n = 1 = 11.37 eV, the position of the maximum of the “exciton” luminescence excitation band at 10.7 eV, and the position of the fundamental absorption edge at 10.3 eV. It has been found that photoluminescence excitation occurs predominantly in the region of the low-energy fundamental absorption edge of the crystal and that, at energies above E _g , the energy transfer from the matrix to luminescence centers is inefficient. The exciton migration is the main excitation channel of photoluminescence bands at 2.6–3.3 and 3.3–4.2 eV. The direct photoexcitation is characteristic of photoluminescence from defects at 1.8–2.6 and 4.2–5.5 eV.     

High excitation energy structures in208Pb

Level-crossing signals of impact radiation of He I have been analyzed with regard to the determination of excitation matrices. The signals have been registered at various electricfield strengths by sweeping a magnetic field strength ?_z through the positions ofΔm=2 crossings of Zeeman substates ofn ³ D ₂ andn ³ D ₃ levels (n=4 and 5) of He I excited by 35keV-He⁺-He collisions. We analyzed the signal amplitudes and signal shapes with regard to a spin-dependence of the excitation matrix usually discarded by theoretical arguments. To this end a parametrization of spin-dependent excitation matrices has been performed, and the dependence of the level-crossing amplitudes on the 19 parameters obtained have been studied. It turned out that the observed relative signal amplitudes can satisfactorily be explained by only two parameters, the two multipole components of orderk=2 andk=4 of the alignment of the orbital angular momentum. Thus in agreement with theoretical estimations no spin-dependence must be taken into account.     

Solution synthesis of Y1−xBixVO4 for optical applications

Transparent luminescent Y_0.98?xBi_xEu_0.02VO₄ (0<x<1) ceramic films have been prepared using a polymeric route and heat-treatment at 550 °C. A solid solution of zircon-type Y_1?xBi_xVO₄ is obtained for x values below 0.5 whereas phase separation is observed above this limit. The absorption spectra of the films show a shift of the band edge towards high wavelength with the bismuth content, as theoretical calculi have predicted. Luminescence of the films under a UV excitation is typical of europium ion in the zircon structure. The poor correlation between absorption and excitation spectra at high bismuth content is coherent with desexcitation in localized states of valence band. However, the excitation wavelength could still be tuned from deep-UV to near-UV range by inserting bismuth in YVO₄.     

Resonant processes causing photon multiplication in CaSO4:Tb3+

The emission spectra of single and polyterbium centers have been measured at the excitation of CaSO₄:Tb³⁺ phosphors with different charge compensators (Na⁺, calcium vacancies, etc.) by 3.8–35 eV photons or 5 and 300 keV electrons at 6–300 K. The possible mechanisms providing quantum yield above unity for green (⁵D₄ → ⁷F_J) and blue emission (⁵D₃ → ⁷F_J) of Tb³⁺ at the direct intracenter excitation, excitation of oxyanions or creation of hot (nonrelaxed) electrons and holes have been discussed. On the basis of thermally stimulated luminescence at 6–600 K, the peculiarities of the hopping diffusion of relaxed electrons and holes and their tentative low-temperature self-trapping have been considered.     

Luminescence properties of Li6GdB3O9:Ce crystal fibers upon their excitation in the range of 4d → 4f core transitions

We have investigated UV luminescence with a subnanosecond time resolution of Li₆GdB₃O₉:Ce crystal fibers upon their ultrasoft X-ray selective excitation at 10 and 293 K in the range of 4d → 4f core transitions. We have revealed an intense fast-decaying subnanosecond luminescence component, which is caused by a high local density of electronic excitation and Auger core hole relaxation processes, and modulation of the luminescence excitation spectrum by an absorption band of the 4d–4f photoionization giant resonance in the energy range 135–160 eV.     

Luminescence of Ce doped LaPO4 nanophosphors upon Ce 4f-5d and band-to-band excitation

Luminescence spectral-kinetic studies have been performed for pure and Ce-doped LaPO₄ micro- and nanosized phosphates using synchrotron radiation for the excitation within 5-20 eV energy range at T=8-300 K. Mechanisms for the excitation of Ce³⁺ 5d-4f emission as well as the quenching processes are discussed. The influence of surface defects has been considered to modify considerably the luminescent properties of nanosized phosphors upon the excitation in the energy range of Ce³⁺ 4f-5d transitions and LaPO₄ host absorption.     

Luminescence and EPR studies of Eu doped BaAl12O19 blue light emitting phosphors

Europium doped BaAl₁₂O₁₉ powder phosphors have been synthesized by combustion process within few minutes. The phosphors have been characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, EPR and PL techniques. The EPR spectrum exhibits an intense resonance signal at g=1.96 characteristic of Eu²⁺ ions. In addition to this two weak resonance signals have been observed at g=2.28 and g=4.86. The population of the spin levels (N) for the resonance signal at g=1.96 is calculated as a function of temperature. By post-treating the phosphor at 1350 °C under a reducing atmosphere, it is observed that the population of spin levels has been increased five times. The excitation spectrum shows a peak at 326 nm with a shoulder at 290 nm. Upon excitation at 326 nm, the emission spectrum exhibits a well defined broad band with maximum at 444 nm emitting a blue light corresponding to 4f⁶5d→4f⁷ transition. The luminescence intensity also has been enhanced to 60% by post-treating the phosphor at 1350 °C under a reducing atmosphere.     

Luminescence properties of novel NaBa4(BO3)3:Ce, Eu phosphors

Novel Eu³⁺, Ce³⁺ activated NaBa₄(BO₃)₃ phosphors were synthesized by solid-state reactions. The excitation spectrum of NaBa₄(BO₃)₃:Ce³⁺ consists of an intense band peaking at 350 nm and a weak band in the higher energy side, and the emission spectrum exhibits a blue band with a maximum at about 420 nm. The Eu³⁺ emission in NaBa₄(BO₃)₃ consists of the transitions from ⁵D₀ to ⁷F_J, and the excitation spectrum consists of broad excitation band peaking at 270 nm and some intense narrow lines. The optimum doped concentration, the critical distance of the concentration quenching, and the fluorescence lifetime have also been investigated.     

Spectral luminescence properties of Ca1 ? x Sr x F2:Ce3+ (0 < x <1) crystals

The luminescence, reflection, and luminescence excitation spectra of two-component Ca_{1 ? x} Sr _x F₂:Ce³⁺ (0.05 mol %) (x = 0.14, 0.25, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.75) have been studied at room temperature and T = 8 K. It is shown that the luminescence bands (upon 130-eV photon excitation) in the range of 200 to 400 nm are attributed to singlet and triplet self-trapped exciton luminescence and to 5d-4f transitions in Ce³⁺.     

Electron energy loss spectra of the silicon 2p, 2s, carbon 1s and valence shells of tetramethylsilane

Inner shell excitation spectra of tetramethylsilane, (CH₃)₄Si, have been measured in the silicon 2s, 2p (L_I,II,III-shell) and carbon is (K-shell) regions using electron energy-loss spectroscopy at an impact energy of 2.5 keV and a scattering angle of ~1°. The high-resolution valence shell spectrum has also been observed at an impact energy of 3 keV and a zero degree scattering angle. The silicon 2p spectra are compared and contrasted with published photoabsorption spectra of SiF₄, SiH₄, and other related Si-containing molecules with varying ligands.     

Low temperature heat capacity and magnetic excitation of HoAl2 in a magnetic field

The specific heat of single crystalline HoAl₂ in magnetic fields up to 7.5 T has been measured for the temperature range 1.5–16 K. In addition the energy of a magnetic excitation in a magnetic field of 5 T at 4.2 K has been determined by inelastic neutron scattering. The results have been interpreted with a cubic crystalline electric field and an exchange interaction using the same parameter set B₄=-0.85×10^-4 meV, B₆=+0.71× 10^-6 meV and T_C=31.5 K previously obtained by magnetization measurements.     

Polarization effects in theP 3/2→P 1/2 fine structure transition cross section forK(4P)-He collisions

Taking the energy dependence of theP _3/2→P _1/2 fine structure transition cross section ofK(4P) colliding with He as an example, theoretical and experimental studies have been made to illustrate the large possibilities opened by the combination of beam experiments with laser excitation in the investigation of the atomic collisional processes. Explicit calculations, experimentally confirmed, show a strong dependence of the above process on the laser excitation schema for producing the excited stateK(4² P _3/2).     

Photoluminescence spectra of Ga-doped and Al-doped 4H-SiC

Blue and violet photoluminescences of Ga-doped and Al-doped 4H-SiC single crystals grown from a Si melt have been studied at 2 ~ 200 K. Luminescence spectra under continuous excitation and their dependences on temperature and excitation intensity as well as temperature dependence of the luminescence intensity are measured. Time-resolved spectra and decay curves after pulsed excitation also are observed at various temperatures. The luminescences at 2 K are found to be due to pair recombination between the N donor introduced unintentionally and the Ga or Al acceptor. The spectra of the two samples resemble each other in shape, and each consists of a zero-phonon peak and its phonon replicas. At higher temperatures, another emission appears due to the recombination of free electrons with bound holes at the acceptors in place of the pair emission. From the energies of the zero-phonon peaks of these two kinds of emissions, the ionization energies of the Ga and the Al acceptors are determined to be 249 ± 3meV+E_x and 168 ± 3 meV + E_x, respectively, where E_x is the exciton binding energy of 4H-SiC, and that of the N donor is estimated to be 55 ± 7 me V using an appropriate approximation.     

The study of the (α, α′ f) reaction at 120 MeV on 232Th and 238U: (II). Fission barrier properties deduced from fission probabilities and angular distributions

The fission probabilities and angular distributions of the fission fragments for the (α, α'f) reaction on ²³²Th and ²³⁸U at a bombarding energy of 120 MeV have been measured from about 4 to 14 MeV excitation energy. Evidence for sub-barrier resonances has been found, the negativeparity ones occurring at the same excitation energy where photofission resonances have been observed. The data are analyzed with the two-humped barrier model. For ²³⁸U the data are reasonably well fitted with barriers similar to those known from the literature. For ²³²Th though, the outer barrier parameters are quite different: the height E_B = 6.6 MeV and the width (khω)_B = 1.2 MeV. Also for ²³²Th, introducing an additional mass symmetric and axially asymmetric outer barrier, as was previously found necessary for ²³⁸U, does not result in a good fit to the data at higher excitation energies.     

High-resolution resonance study of the12C+n total cross section in the region of13CT=3/2 states

The¹²C+n total cross section has been studied in the region of the lowestT=3/2 states of¹³C. The firstT=3/2 state at (15108.2±1.2) keV excitation is observed as a weak resonance anomaly. The deduced resonance parameters agree with previous results. At higher excitation energies four sharp anomalies have been observed at (17534±3) keV, (18082±3) keV, (20057±4) keV and (21703±4) keV excitation with total widths between 12 keV and 20 keV. The results are discussed with respect to a possibleT=3/2 assignment. An upper limit of the elasticity (J+1/2) Γ_no/gG is deduced for thoseT=3/2 levels which do not appear as resonance anomalies.     

Radiative lifetimes of some excited CoI states

The lifetimes of atomic CoI states have been determined using the delayed coincidence technique. A tunable dye laser pumped by a nitrogen laser was employed for the excitation of cobalt atoms in an atomic beam. The lifetimes were derived from the time dependent fluorescence intensity of the observed lines after the excitation. For the measurement of the lifetimes of thee ⁴ F _9/2,f ⁴ F ^9/2 andf ⁴ F _7/2 levels a two step excitation was applied. In case of overlapping measurement we find our results to be in good agreement with those reported by Becker [1].     

Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of the high-brightness Eu3+-doped Sr3Bi(PO4)3 phosphors

A series of orange reddish emitting phosphors Eu³⁺-doped Sr₃Bi(PO₄)₃ have been successfully synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction, and its photoluminescence (PL) properties have been investigated. The excitation spectra reveal strong excitation bands at 392 nm, which match well with the popular emissions from near-UV light-emitting diode chips. The emission spectra of Sr₃Bi(PO₄)₃:Eu³⁺ phosphors invariably exhibit five peaks assigned to the ⁵D₀→⁷F_J (J=0, 1, 2, 3, 4) transitions of Eu³⁺ and have dominating emission peak at 612 nm under 392 nm excitation. The luminescence intensity was enhanced with increasing Eu³⁺ content and the emission reached the maximum intensity at x=0.05 in Sr₃Bi(PO₄)₃:xEu³⁺. The energy transfer behavior in the phosphors was discussed. The Commission Internationale de lEclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates, the quantum efficiencies, and the decay curves of the entitled phosphors excited under 392 nm are also investigated. The experimental results indicate that the Eu³⁺-doped Sr₃Bi(PO₄)₃ phosphors are promising orange reddish-emitting phosphors pumped by near-UV light.     

Intra-center energy transfer dynamics in Cd1−xMnxTe semi magnetic semiconductors

Intra-center luminescence of Cd_1?xMn_xTe semi magnetic semiconductors under low excitation density was investigated both experimentally and by Monte-Carlo simulation. Experimental time-resolved spectra of 2 eV-band under different photon energy for excitation were used. The approach revealed that Mn²⁺–Mn²⁺excitation energy transfers take place by means of resonant dipole–dipole interaction. Besides energy transfer dynamics is strongly influenced by hopping-assisted quenching. Having been intra-center excitation selective-, mixed- and non-selective types of excitation are proved to occur if photon energy for excitation is increased. This is originated from overlapping of ⁴T₁- and ⁴T₂-states. Under inter-band excitation it was established that Mn²⁺-ion excitation takes place with the aid of excitonic energy transfer, with excitation energy being centered at exciton energy. Under temperature rise the transfer rate vigorously enhances due to great increase of overlap integral of Mn²⁺- ions' side-bands. The quenching is proved to be limited in accordance with existing theory. Inhomogeneous broadening diminishes as a result of fast fluctuation rate of excited ions' energy.     

Fluorescence spectra of matrix-isolated praseodymium triodide molecules

Fluorescence spectra of PrI₃ molecules isolated in Ar and Xe matrices have been measured for the first time. More than 40 transitions have been measured using Hg excitation and have been assigned to transitions within the 4f² configuration.     

Spectral-kinetic characteristics of Pr luminescence in LiLuF4 host upon excitation in the UV-VUV range

Spectral-kinetic study of Pr³⁺ luminescence has been performed for LiLuF₄:Pr(0.1 mol%) single crystal upon the excitation within 5-12 eV range at T=8 K. The fine-structure of Pr³⁺ 4f ²→4f 5d excitation spectra is shown for LiLuF₄:Pr(0.1 mol%) to be affected by the efficient absorption transitions of Pr³⁺ ions into 4f 5d involving 4f ¹ core in the ground state. Favourable conditions have been revealed in LiLuF₄:Pr(0.1 mol%) for the transformation of UV-VUV excitation quanta into the visible range. Lightly doped LiLuF₄:Pr crystals are considered as the promising luminescent materials possessing the efficient Pr³⁺³P₀ visible emission upon UV-VUV excitation. The mechanism of energy transfer between Lu³⁺ host ion and Pr³⁺ impurity is discussed.