Absorption and luminescence spectroscopy of manganese-doped BaSO4 crystals

The polarized 10 K single-crystal absorption spectra of Mn-doped BaSO4 are reinterpreted and the first luminescence spectra are presented. As a consequence of the high-temperature preparation there is a simultaneous presence of MnO3−4 and MnO2−4 in the BaSO4 host with a ration close to one. This is mainly responsible for the erroneous assignments in the literature. The broad absorption bands between 10000 and 16500 cm−1are due to 3A2 → 3T2, 3T1 (d → d) transitions of the MnO3−4 ion. The 2E → 2T2 (d → d) transition of MnO2−4 originates at 11074 cm−1.