Thermoluminescence of deuterated amorphous and crystalline ices

Low-temperature thermoluminescence has been used to assess the structure of solids. When applied to frozen liquids it can also provide interesting information on the initial product in the liquid state. We have shown, in previous publications (C.R. Phys. 1 (2000) 107, Physica A 323 (2003a) 67) that two major light emission peak areas were displayed in the case of deuterated ice, one of them linked to the crystal network and, most probably to the pre-existing hydrogen bonding in the original water. In the present research we have investigated the thermoluminescence glow of several types of deuterated ices obtained by compression at 77 K including amorphous solids. We observed, in this latter case, an almost complete disappearance of the peak area that we attributed to crystal lattice and hydrogen bond systems. This confirms that high pressures, when applied to hexagonal ice at 77 K, can induce “melting” in the solid state and give rise to an unstructured “liquid”.