Temperature- and Dose-Dependent Ion Beam Luminescence in Natural Tridymite: a Comparative Spectroscopic Study

Ion beam luminescence (IBL) measurements were conducted on natural tridymite samples from Lanzarote (Canary Island) to evaluate the spectral characteristics of this SiO₂ polymorph under varying thermal and cumulative irradiation conditions. Temperature-dependent IBL spectra were recorded between 80 and 330 K (from -196.15°C to 56.85°C with an interval of 10°C), revealing prominent emissions in the UV-visible range. Additionally, the response to 15 successive proton irradiations at room temperature was assessed to investigate dose-dependent stability: (i) The emissions at ~343, ~408, and ~493 nm exhibited thermally activated non radiative quenching and (ii) the peaks at ~244, ~644, and ~880 nm remained largely resistant to cumulative ion exposure. Results were compared with limited IBL data on quartz systems in the literature. The observed stability of emission features suggest potential applications in radiation sensing and defect structure studies.