Self-trapped exciton luminescence in crystalline α-quartz under two-photon laser excitation

The luminescence of pure crystalline α-quartz is studied under pulsed ArF laser excitation. The luminescence parameters obtained correspond well with those of self-trapped excitons (STEs) in α-quartz, indicating that the excitation process is two-photon. The efficiency of two-photon excitation is of the same order of magnitude as the one-photon excitation of sodium salicylate. The STE luminescence decay kinetics and their temperature dependence under photoexcitation were recorded with higher accuracy than previously. Changes in the decay kinetics with temperature are explained by the splitting of the STE triplet state in zero magnetic field and are analyzed with the assumption of the Orbach process of spin–lattice relaxation. No trace of other luminescence was detected in the pure sample.