Radiative recombination in BaF2:Pr

In this communication some preliminary results of studies on radiative recombination processes in praseodymium-doped barium fluoride crystals are reported. Experimental techniques such as measurements of radioluminescence, thermoluminescence, VUV-excited photoluminescence spectra and photoluminescence time profiles at various temperatures are employed. The Pr3+ ions can be excited directly or via some kind of host-to-ion energy transfer. The thermoluminescence glow curve is separated into nine first-order peaks, to which the corresponding radiation defects are assigned and activation energies are found. It is shown that one of these defect centers, i.e., the V-K center, influences the luminescence time profiles above 140 K in case of excitation involving the host-to-ion energy transfer. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.