Thermoluminescence of Solid Nitrogen after Electron Bombardment at 4.2°K

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Solid nitrogen annealed at 20°K and then bombarded with electrons at 4°K gives three glow peaks on warming, at 10°, 14.5°, and 19°K. Unannealed nitrogen gave broader peaks. A feeble, long‐lived glow followed the normal afterglow after bombardment at 4°K. Thermal effects during warming were observed in one apparatus with radiation shielding at 77°K, but they were not observed in a much more sensitive apparatus with radiation shielding at 4°K. The thermal effects are probably caused by an anomalous vapor pressure and loss of Dewar vacuum. The data are discussed with reference to two interpretations, the storage of 2D excited nitrogen atoms and the recombination of 4S nitrogen atoms through diffusion. The latter explanation is preferred and a simple model is offered to account for the three diffusion activation enthalpies implied by the three thermoluminescence peaks.