Investigation of the yield process by deformation luminescence of X-ray irradiated KCl:Ca2+

It is found that deformation luminescence gives us information about the microscopic yield process of X-ray irradiated KCl:Ca2+. The stress-strain curve has a macroscopic yield point. But we find that luminescence appears to start before the macroscopic yield. This means that dislocation begin to move before the macroscopic yield because deformation luminescence is attributed to radiation-induced dislocation motion. The beginning of luminescence is considered to be the microscopic yield. Investigating the dependence of microscopic yield stress on strain rate and impurity concentration gives us additional information. The activation volume obtained from the dependence of microscopic yield stress on strain rate is comparable to the value estimated from the concentration of impurity. Then the dislocation starts to move overcoming impurity-vacancy dipoles as obstacles to dislocation motion. The dislocation density starts to increase at the microscopic yield point and then sharply increases to the macroscopic yield.