Solid State Photochemical Processes in Sodium Azide

Abstract

Some properties of vacancy color centers produced by ultraviolet light in NaN₃ at low temperature are studied by optical absorption and ESPR techniques. Thermal and optical bleaching experiments are discussed which allow one to correlate the optical bands with the ESPR data. The experiments are interpreted in terms of the de Boer model of the F center and the Seitz models of the F₂ and F₂⁺ centers. Calculations based on the continuum models for these centers are made and are found to be in favorable agreement with the experimental data. A mechanism for the creation of vacancies and the subsequent formation of the color centers based on photolytic effects is proposed.