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Squeezing light out of crystals: Triboluminescence

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Abstract

Triboluminescence is the light emitted when mechanical energy is applied to a crystal. Many common substances such as sugar and copper sulfate are triboluminescent. The origin of the light and the mechanical, chemical, and crystallographic requirements of the phenomenon are described in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of California, 90024, Los Angeles, California

    Jeffrey I. Zink

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  1. Jeffrey I. Zink
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Additional information

The author gratefully acknowledges his co-workers, Prof. W.C. Kaska, Prof. G. Gliemann, Dr. B.P. Chandra, Dr. G.E. Hardy, and R. Angelos. Their many contributions to the understanding of TL are detailed in the references. The U.S. Army Research Office and the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung are gratefully acknowledged for financial support.

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Zink, J.I. Squeezing light out of crystals: Triboluminescence. Naturwissenschaften 68, 507–512 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00365374

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00365374

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