Luminescence Images: What is it That You See?

Luminescence imaging and hyperspectral luminescence mapping are powerful analytical tools with widespread applications in geosciences and materials science. The luminescence of minerals is mainly a defect phenomenon caused by lattice defects and/or impurity elements. This in turn allows one to study trace-element composition and the structural state of a sample by means of its emission. One of the most spectacular and widely used applications of luminescence images is to visualise internal textures in minerals that are not revealed by other analytical techniques. Herein we present a selection of examples for the extraordinary sensitivity of luminescence imaging. We also show that precise information on samples is obtained if luminescence imaging is combined with spectroscopic analysis of the emission and/ or complementary analytical techniques.