Thermoluminescence and the Influence of γ-Ray Induced Defects In Single-Crystal α-Al2O3

In previous work the thermoluminescence of golden sapphire (Al₂O₃ containing Ni and Mg), which was γ irradiated under liquid nitrogen, was compared with glow curves of fused borax seeded with Ni and Mg. The emission intensity obeyed, reasonably well, the expression $${\mathrm{I=\alpha N}}_0\mathrm{k\prime \hspace{0.17em}}\exp \left[\text{−1/(dT/dt)}{\displaystyle {\int }_{t_0}^t}\mathrm{k\prime dT}\right]$$ . In the present paper it is shown that light‐induced glow curves in γ‐irradiated sapphire have the form of a second‐order decay process, namely I = I₀[b / (b+t)]^m. Gamma‐ray induced thermoluminescence in ruby shows dominant emission bands with maxima at about 150°K and 240°K. Light‐induced thermoluminescence in γ‐ray damaged ruby shows an afterglow long after the crystal has reached room temperature.