Optically Activated Luminescence in a Natural Quartz

The spectral and kinetic characteristics of some natural quartz samples were studied by the method of optically stimulated afterglow. Defects with an unusually long time of luminescence decay of intracenter type ( = 179 msec, = 450 msec) have been revealed. Some of the parameters of these centers (stimulation and luminescence spectra, kinetics of afterglow decay, EPR spectrum, their temperature dependences, and also the stable behavior of these centers on exposure to thermal and optical effects) have been determined. Their role in the appearance of a luminescence signal ineffaceable in the process of formation of geological deposits and the possible processes leading to the afterglow of these centers are discussed.