Absorption and luminescence spectroscopy of manganese-doped BaSO4 crystals

The polarized 10 K single-crystal absorption spectra of Mn-doped BaSO4 are reinterpreted and the first luminescence spectra are presented. As a consequence of the high-temperature preparation there is a simultaneous presence of MnO43- and MnO42- in the BaSO4 host with a ratio close to one. This is mainly responsible for the erroneous assignments in the literature. The broad absorption bands between 10000 and 16500 cm(-1) are due to (3)A(2) --> T-3(2), T-3(1) (d --> d) transitions of the MnO43- ion. The (2)E --> T-2(2) (d --> d) transition of MnO42- originates at 11074 cm(-1).