Thermoluminescence of coloured alkali halide crystals after plastic deformation

Changes in the thermoluminescence (TL) intensity and the glow profile are found due to the plastic deformation caused by the application of the periodic uniaxial pressure in X-irradiated KBr, KC1, KI, LiF-TLD-100 and NaCl crystals. Trap destruction and trap competition models are discussed for the decrease in the TL intensity of the crystals. The increase in the TL intensity of some of the glow peaks is possible by the creation of new defects which act as traps, which are intrinsic in the crystal. If during the plastic deformation some of the interstitial atoms are released from one trap and are trapped again in some other trap, then the TL intensity corresponding to the first trap may decrease and the TL intensity corresponding to the other trap may increase. If the deformation of a crystal creates some traps which are different in energy than the intrinsic traps, then a new glow peak may appear.