Fast luminescence in vacuum ultraviolet region in heavy-ion-irradiated α-Al2O3

We analyzed the time-resolved luminescence properties of α-Al2O3 under heavy ion irradiations in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) wavelength region. A luminescence band at approximately 170 nm, at which a luminescence band was observed under VUV irradiation and was ascribed to self-shrunk excitons. The decay rate increased with the linear energy transfer (LET). The luminescence efficiency of the band increased sharply with the LET for the case of Xe irradiation, whose LET was estimated to be higher than the threshold LET for track formation. The fast decay rate and high luminescence intensity for Xe irradiation was explained according to the enhanced radiative rate caused by close interactions among excited states.