Optical bleaching front in bedrock revealed by spatially-resolved infrared photoluminescence

Passive atomic-scale optical sensors for mapping light flux in ultra-small cavities

Understanding light propagation and attenuation in cavities is limited by lack of applicable light sensing technologies. Here we demonstrate the use of light-sensitive metastable states in wide bandgap aluminosilicates (feldspar) as passive optical sensors for high-resolution mapping of light flux. We develop non-destructive, infrared photoluminescence (IRPL) imaging of trapped electrons in cracks as thin as 50 µm width to determine the spatio-temporal evolution of light sensitive metastable states in response to light exposure. Modelling of these data yields estimates of relative light flux at different depths along the crack surfaces. Contrary to expectation, the measured light flux does not scale with the crack width, and it is independent of crack orientation suggesting the dominance of diffused light propagation within the cracks. This work paves way for understanding of how light attenuates in the minutest of cavities for applications in areas as diverse as geomorphology, biology/ecology and civil engineering.

Site-selective mapping of metastable states using electron-beam induced luminescence microscopy

Metastable states created by electron or hole capture in crystal defects are widely used in dosimetry and photonic applications. Feldspar, the most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust (> 50%), generates metastable states with lifetimes of millions of years upon exposure to ionizing radiation. Although feldspar is widely used in dosimetry and geochronometry, the creation of metastable states and charge transfer across them is poorly understood. Understanding such phenomena requires next-generation methods based on high-resolution, site-selective probing of the metastable states. Recent studies using site-selective techniques such as photoluminescence (PL), and radioluminescence (RL) at 7 K have revealed that feldspar exhibits two near-infrared (NIR) emission bands peaking at 880 nm and 955 nm, which are believed to arise from the principal electron-trapping states. Here, we map for the first time the electron-trapping states in potassium-rich feldspar using spectrally-resolved cathodoluminescence microscopy at a spatial resolution of ~ 6 to 22 µm. Each pixel probed by a scanning electron microscope provides us a cathodoluminescence spectrum (SEM-CL) in the range 600–1000 nm, and elemental data from energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. We conclude that the two NIR emissions are spatially variable and, therefore, originate from different sites. This conclusion contradicts the existing model that the two emissions arise from two different excited states of a principal trap. Moreover, we are able to link the individual NIR emission peaks with the geochemical variations (K, Na and Fe concentration), and propose a model that explains the quenching of the NIR emission by Fe⁴⁺. Our study contributes to an improved understanding of charge storage in feldspathic minerals, with implications for developing sub-single grain (micrometer scale) measurement techniques in radiation dosimetry.

A novel coupled RPL/OSL system to understand the dynamics of the metastable states

Metastable states form by charge (electron and hole) capture in defects in a solid. They play an important role in dosimetry, information storage, and many medical and industrial applications of photonics. Despite many decades of research, the exact mechanisms resulting in luminescence signals such as optically/thermally stimulated luminescence (OSL or TL) or long persistent luminescence through charge transfer across the metastable states remain poorly understood. Our lack of understanding owes to the fact that such luminescence signals arise from a convolution of several steps such as charge (de)trapping, transport and recombination, which are not possible to track individually. Here we present a novel coupled RPL(radio-photoluminescence)/OSL system based on an electron trap in a ubiquitous, natural, geophotonic mineral called feldspar (aluminosilicate). RPL/OSL allows understanding the dynamics of the trapped electrons and trapped holes individually. We elucidate for the first time trap distribution, thermal eviction, and radiation-induced growth of trapped electron and holes. The new methods and insights provided here are crucial for next generation model-based applications of luminescence dating in Earth and environmental sciences, e.g. thermochronometry and photochronometry.