Thermoluminescence and reactions of freed interstitial and trapped-hole centers in KBr crystals below room temperature

Thermoluminescence mechanism has been studied from the view-point of clarifying kind of reactions of radiation-induced defects responsible for the emission in KBr crystals irradiated at 77 K. The dependence of glow curves on the kind of alkali impurity and on Na+ concentration, and the response of glow peaks to the F-light illumination were studied. Correlations between glow peaks and reactions of color centers were made clear as follows. The recombination between neutral Frenkel pairs, Br sub(i)sup(0) + F, is assigned as the main origin of thermoluminescences in non-activated specimens. Annihilation of the V sub(K) center due to the thermal migration of the hole and to the reaction of freed Br sub(i)sup(-) are also found to be responsible for the emission. (auth.)