[en] Excitation into the 6.1 eV F band in single crystal samples of α-Al₂O₃ produces a luminescence with a peak at 3.0 eV and a half-width of 0.36 eV at 4.4⁰K. The temperature dependence of the half-width follows a hyperbolic cotangent relation with an effective frequency of 370 +- 20 cm^-1. At 4.4⁰K the fluorescence decay contains two components. One of these, which has a lifetime of 24 +- 2 ms, is assigned to a spin forbidden transition from the lowest lying component of the symmetry split ³p-like excited state of the F center to the ¹A₁ ground state. The other component has a lifetime of 272 + 10 ms at 4.4⁰K and is assigned to phosphorescence due to shallow electron traps in the lattice. At 50.4⁰K a single component is observed in the fluorescence decay, with a lifetime of 35 +- 2 ms. This fluorescence is assigned to a second spin forbidden transition of the F center. The excited states of the F⁺ center in neutron or proton irradiated SrO have been studied by measuring the temperature dependence of the yield and lifetime of the F⁺ fluorescence over the temperature range from 5⁰K to 140⁰K. Both the fluorescence yield and lifetime decrease in two stages; one over the temperature range from 5⁰K to 60⁰K, and the other over the range 60⁰K to 140⁰K. The results are interpreted in terms of a three level model of the F⁺ center which is suggested by recent theoretical work. The lowest radiative level, which has a lifetime of 0.42 μs, is found to be 0.05 eV below the conduction band. Another level is found only 0.005 eV above this radiative level. In order to account for the results, non-radiative decay to the ground state appears to occur from this second level