Luminescent and dosimetric properties of ultrafine magnesium oxide ceramics after high dose irradiation

• Ultrafine anion-defective MgO ceramics are synthesized.
• Luminescence of F-type centers increases with a growth of synthesis temperature.
• TL of deep traps is due to tunneling recombination of charge carriers.
• TL dose response goes sublinearly at doses 1.5–80 kGy of a pulsed electron beam.

The luminescent and dosimetric properties of ultrafine MgO ≿eramics synthesized in strongly reducing conditions at Т = 1100–1400 °С are investigated. The growth of photo- and cathodoluminescence output at 2.0–3.5 eV (400–600 nm) is found. It is due to an increase in concentration of single oxygen vacancies and their aggregates. It was established that thermal treatment leads to TL intensity growth after high dose irradiation of the samples by a pulsed electron beam (130 keV). The tunneling mechanism of charge carriers' recombination occurs after this treatment as well. The presence of tunneling recombination is proved by the analysis of the shape and temperature dependence of TL isothermal decay curves. The possibility of using synthesized ceramics for high dose TL dosimetry of ionizing radiations is shown.