Ionoluminescence studies of natural kyanite mineral from different parts of Indian origin

Abstract

Ionoluminescence (IL) studies of two natural kyanite (Al(2)SiO(5)) minerals collected from different regions of India was carried out using 120 MeV Ag(9+) ions in the fluence range of 1.50-10.5 × 10(11)ions/cm(2). Identical emission peaks were observed in both the samples at ~416, 463, 530-540 nm along with other emission peaks at ~689 nm, 706 nm (sharp) and 770 nm (broad). The sharp emission peaks at 689 nm correspond to R lines of Cr(3+) impurities and are related to transition of (2)E(g)→(4)A(2g). The sharp and broad emission peaks in the range of 706-770 nm are attributed to Fe(3+) impurities and are related to the transition of (4)T(1g)→(6)A(1g). The peak in the range of 530-540 nm is attributed to Mn(2+) impurities and is related to the transition of (4)T(1)→(6)A(1). IL peak intensity decreases with the Ag(9+) ion fluence which might be due to the thermal quenching/amorphization, caused by the ion beam irradiation. The amorphization in the sample was explained with the help of thermal spike model (TSM). These results demonstrated that IL is a very sensitive technique for impurity characterization and differentiating the origin of minerals.