On the possibility of obtaining hot-electron distribution functions from the electroluminescence of rare earth-doped crystals

When an impurity in a crystal is impact-excited by hot electrons, its level occupancies and hence the emission intensities depend on a convolution of the impact cross sections and the hot-electron distribution function. In special circumstances the impact cross section is proportional to the inverse of the electric dipole radiative lifetime. Information about the hot-electron distribution can then be obtained. Some of the conditions to be fulfilled are discussed.