Laser-induced time-resolved luminescence of natural sillimanite Al2SiO5 and synthetic Al2SiO5 activated by chromium

► We studied luminescence centers in natural sillimanite by time-resolved technique ► We proved Cr3+ emission by the study of artificial sillimanite activated by Cr ► We proved that broad red emission band with long decay is connected to Fe3+ ► We substantiate that narrow emission lines are connected to Mn4+ and V2+.