Dynamics of thermoluminescence spectra of impurity-helium condensates containing stabilized nitrogen and oxygen atoms

The results of investigations of thermoluminescence dynamics during destruction of neon-helium and krypton-helium condensates containing stabilized nitrogen and oxygen atoms are presented. Spectra of the thermoluminescence of a krypton-helium condensate contained bands of N and O atoms and NO molecules. The intensities of the bands in these spectra were found to increase simultaneously during destruction processes in the temperature range 1.5-15K. The observation of NO molecules provides clear evidence for chemical reactions in the nanoclusters comprising the sample at low temperatures. Destruction of neon-helium samples occurred in two stages. During the first stage the alpha-group of N atoms surrounded by Ne and N-2 molecules dominated the spectra. During the second stage, the spectra contained intense bands of N and O atoms stabilized in a molecular nitrogen matrix. The unusual characteristics of the thermoluminescence spectra were observed, and their changes were explained in terms of the shell structure of impurity nanoclusters, which comprised the impurity-helium condensates. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4745675]