Luminescence studies on gamma irradiated KCl: Ce3+ crystals

This paper reports thermoluminescence(TL), optical absorption and TL emission studies that are made on Ce3+ doped KCl single crystals irradiated at room temperature. The glow curve and optical absorption studies indicate the participation of Ce3+ ions in the TL process. The TL study suggests the presence of low concentration of Ce3+ ions which reduces the TL efficiency with respect to pure KCl samples. On F bleaching γ irradiated crystals Z1 centers are observed. A broader and strongly intense violet blue emission at 290, 370, 423 and 488 nm has been observed with 240 nm excitation. This emission has been attributed due to the transition from 5d(2D) excited energy level to the 4f1 ground stable energy level (2F5/2 and 3F7/2) of Ce3+ doped KCl crystals.