Afterglow, low-temperature radioluminescence and thermoluminescence of Lu2O3:Eu ceramic scintillators

Comparison of thermoluminescence (TL) and scintillation light outputs with continuous gamma-ray excitation reveals that the concentration of deep hole traps in ceramic Lu2O3:Eu, tentatively attributed to anion Frenkel defects, is enhanced by reversible radiation damage. Shallow electron and hole traps are tentatively attributed to surface states at grain boundaries. Electrons in shallow traps serve as non-radiative recombination centers. A model for anomalously persistent afterglow following pulsed X-ray excitation is based on a continuous distribution of hole traps inferred from TL following extended gamma-ray irradiation at −135 °C.