Luminescence from pure and doped solid deuterium irradiated by keV electrons

Solid samples of pure and doped deuterium were irradiated by keV electrons and the luminescence of these samples was measured between 200 and 700 nm. In order to separate the intrinsic emissions from impurity‐induced luminescence, deuterium was doped with standard air impurities like N2, H2O, O2, and CO.

In purified solid deuterium, an emission at 275 nm was observed for the first time and attributed to a transition in D*3 molecules produced via ionization of D2, formation of D3+, and subsequent recombination with electrons. Film‐thickness dependence as well as timing experiments corroborate this interpretation.