Time and spectrally resolved luminescence and relaxation processes in solid neon

Abstract

The spectral distribution and the time evolution of the luminescence of atomic (a-STE) and molecular type self-trapped excitons (m-STE) of solid neon is measured under primary excitation with a continuous or pulsed electron beam. In high resolution spectra, several new luminescence bands are established. In addition to the luminescence of excitons localized at different trapping sites, the emission of desorbing neon atoms show up, indicating a close connection between self-trapping of excitons at the surface and desorption. The spectral and temporal behavior of m-STE emission displays the step-by-step vibrational relaxation of the Ne*2 centers. The decay curves of high vibrational levels of the m-STE are the first direct measurement of the relaxation rates. Good agreement with recently published values obtained with a different method is found.