Decay kinetics of Ce3+ ions under gamma and KrF excimer laser excitation in CeF3 single crystals

Measurements of the decay kinetics of regular Ce3+ emissions in CeF3 single crystals have been performed under photo-excitation and gamma (22Na radioisotope) excitation. While flashlamp-excited photoluminescence decay is distorted mainly by the influence of the 'near-surface' traps, the multiexponential nature of the scintillation decay is explained using pair interaction of close-lying Ce3+ excited ions, which account for the discrete character of their distances. Measurements of the same photoluminescence decay under high-intensity laser excitation show a similar departure from exponentiality as in the case of scintillation decay and support the proposed model.