We report the observation of optically pumped lasing in ZnO at room temperature. Thin films of ZnO were grown by plasma-enhanced molecular beam epitaxy on (0001) sapphire substrates. Laser cavities formed by cleaving were found to lase at a threshold excitation intensity of 240 kW cm−2. We believe these results demonstrate the high quality of ZnO epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy while clearly demonstrating the viability of ZnO based light emitting devices.

Optically pumped lasing of ZnO at room temperature

A review of quartz optically stimulated luminescence characteristics and their relevance in single-aliquot regeneration dating protocols

Distinguishing quartz and feldspar in single grain luminescence measurements

Mossbauer spectra measured by the Opportunity rover revealed four mineralogical components in Meridiani Planum at Eagle crater: jarosite- and hematite-rich outcrop, hematite-rich soil, olivine-bearing basaltic soil, and a pyroxene-bearing basaltic rock (Bounce rock). Spherules, interpreted to be concretions, are hematite-rich and dispersed throughout the outcrop. Hematitic soils both within and outside Eagle crater are dominated by spherules and their fragments. Olivine-bearing basaltic soil is present throughout the region. Bounce rock is probably an impact erratic. Because jarosite is a hydroxide sulfate mineral, its presence at Meridiani Planum is mineralogical evidence for aqueous processes on Mars, probably under acid-sulfate conditions.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/306/5702/1740.full.pdf

Jarosite and hematite at Meridiani Planum from Opportunity's Mössbauer spectrometer

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dosimetry is attractive to the health physics and dosimetry community due to its all-optical character, fast data acquisition and the avoidance of heating the detector. Until recently there was no luminescent material sensitive enough to radiation, and at the same time suitable for stimulation with visible light, for use in this application. However, anion-deficient aluminum oxide doped with carbon (Al2O3:C) appears to be not only an extremely sensitive thermoluminescence (TL) material, but is also well-suited to OSL applications. Several OSL readout protocols have been suggested, including cw-OSL, pulsed OSL (POSL), and 'delayed' OSL (DOSL). The paper discusses the physical mechanisms that give rise to the OSL signals and the dependence of these signals upon absorbed dose. Example applications of the use of OSL from Al2O3:C in environmental radiation and ultraviolet-B dosimetry are discussed.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Optically stimulated luminescence dosimetry

Spectral evidence for defect clustering: Relevance to radiation dosimetry materials

Emission spectra of meteorites during thermoluminescence

Optical Absorption and Thermoluminescence in Natural Beryl

Two different spectra deconvolution methods have been compared on samples of Gorilla® Glass (GG) irradiated in the dose range 0-20 Gy and measured with X-band EPR. The first method used a matrix deconvolution procedure using sample-specific sets of reference signals. The second method used a 'universal' set of eight reference signals (due to five electron centers, two hole centers and a background) to fit EPR spectra from any GG sample. Dose-responses curves were constructed for each individual reference signal. These were then used to test reconstruction of a laboratory-administered dose of 2 Gy. For the matrix method, the values of the reconstructed and nominal doses were within ± 20% after averaging measurements from three aliquots of each sample. For the universal method, the most promising results were obtained with E1, E4 and H1 signals. The fitting failed for one sample, due to dominance of the background signal.

Stephen W.S. McKeever

Papers

Spectral evidence for defect clustering: Relevance to radiation dosimetry materials

Emission spectra of meteorites during thermoluminescence

Optical Absorption and Thermoluminescence in Natural Beryl

A comparison of different spectra deconvolution methods used in epr dosimetry with gorilla® glasses.

A New Look at Thermoluminescence Kinetics