Talk:Thermoluminescence

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[edit] Definition

I don't think nuclear energy can be released by the heating of something. One definition I have is: Thermoluminescence is a result of high energy electrons trapped within the specimen. Heat frees the electrons, which produce light much like fluorescence. Another I have is: A phenomenon in which certain minerals release previously absorbed radiation upon being moderately heated. By assuming both of these are true, I can deduce that the most possible explanation of this phenomenon is that: "a mineral is exposed to UV radiation, and its electrons are excited into a higher orbit, on which it stays until heat makes the molecules vibrate, causing the electrons to fall to a lower orbit and release the previously acquired energy as visible light." No nuclear energy. Besides, you´d have to bombard the material with neutrons to get any nuclear energy out of if (besides that it´d have to be unstable). Please correct me if I'm wrong on anything.Slartibartfast1992 00:57, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Uh... dont confuse me with a neanderthal, but the definition now seems hard to understand... Could anybody dumb it down for people like me who are not in high school yet? Besides, I asked somebody who knows about this field who told me it's complete and meaningless junk.Slartibartfast1992 22:34, 26 February 2007 (UTC)