Mechanoluminescence produced during impulsive deformation of γ- irradiated KBr crystals

When a γ-irradiated KBr crystal is deformed impulsively by impact of a moving piston, then two peaks of intensities Iml and Im2 appear in the mechanoluminescence (ML) intensity versus time curve at times tml and tm2, respectively. The ML intensity after Iml decays exponentially up to the minima in between Iml and Im2, where the decay time gives the relaxation time of the piston. The ML intensity after tm2 also decays exponentially, where the decay time gives the lifetime of electrons in the dislocation band. (author)