Gamma ray interactions with samarium doped strontium phosphate glasses

Collective optical, photoluminescence, FTIR spectral studies of increasing Sm₂O₃ ions (3.2–15 mol%) in strontium phosphate host glass were measured before and after irradiated with (8 Mrad dose) by gamma ray. The undpoed optical spectrum revealed a clear UV absorption peak at 230 nm due to trace iron impurity. Sm₂O₃-doped glasses exhibit extended visible near IR peaks in two rows, the first extended from 330 to 500 nm with small peaks and the second series extends from 900 to 2500 nm with distinguished peaks. This extended optical-near IR spectral absorption peaks belong to trivalent samarium ions. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra after excitation at 402 nm reveal four PL peaks with the decrease in intensity with increasing samarium content. Upon excitation at 596 nm, 11 peaks are identified and three of which are splitted into component peaks and their intensities decrease with increasing Sm₂O₃ content. FTIR spectra show distinguished vibrational peaks at the wavenumber range 2000–400 cm⁻¹. Some of the bands are very prominent and obviously revealing some modifications of the phosphate network by the addition of increasing Sm₂O₃ content.