Thermo- and photostimulated luminescence in LiF : Mg,Ti single crystals irradiated by ions and VUV light

A coordinated study of the relaxation of optical absorption induced by vacuum ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, and α-particles, as well as of photo- and thermostimulated luminescence (TSL) of LiF : Mg, Ti crystals (TLD-100) in the 295–750-K interval, has revealed that TSL regions characterized by activation energies E _a = 2.2–2.4 eV and anomalously high frequency factors p ₀ = 10²¹–10²² s^?1 alternate with regions where E _a = 1.5 eV and p ₀ = 10¹²–10¹⁴ s^?1. The relative intensities of the TSL peaks produced by UV illumination (10–17 eV) differ strongly under the conditions of selective photon-induced generation of anion excitons, free electrons and holes, or near-impurity electronic excitations. The latter are responsible for the high efficiency of tunneling radiative (involving titanium centers) or nonradiative (involving hydroxyl ions) recombination. The analysis of TSL peaks of LiF: Mg, Ti and LiF took into account two-step processes, namely, thermal dissociation of three-fluorine F ₃ ^? molecules and recombination of the products of their decay (V _K and V _F centers, H interstices).