The specifics of radiative annihilation of self-trapped excitons in a KI–Tl crystal under low-temperature deformation

Abstract

The effect of low-temperature uniaxial deformation on the self-trapping-limited mean free path of excitons in a KI–Tl crystal was revealed from x-ray luminescence spectra. The analysis of the dependence of the intensity ratio of the Tl-center emission (2.85 eV) and the luminescence of self-trapped excitons (π-component; 3.3 eV) on the extent of low-temperature deformation showed that in the KI–Tl crystal (3 × 10−3 mol. %) the self-trapping-limited mean free path of excitons is comparable with the distance between Tl atoms (20–27)a under a deformation ε = 2%. As the compression increases to ε ≥ 2%–5%, the mean free path drops to (27-5.35)a. The results of modeling based on the continuum approximation showed that with increasing temperature and the degree of low-temperature deformation the height of the potential barrier for the exciton self-trapping drops, which is consistent with the reduction of the mean free path of excitons in the KI–Tl crystal.