Skip to content
luminescence

File:Luminol.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ184240· pop 58· linked from 431 articles

luminescence

Sign in to save

right|thumb|Luminol reacting with haemoglobin is a familiar demonstration of [[chemiluminescence.]] thumb|UV-induced photoluminescence used in microbiological diagnostics.

AI overview

Luminescence is the emission of light from a substance through chemical reactions or exposure to energy like ultraviolet light, rather than from heat alone. It matters because it has practical applications in areas like forensic science (detecting blood at crime scenes) and medical diagnostics (identifying microorganisms).

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

~11 min read

Encyclopedic overview

24 sections
Contents
  • Physical basis
  • Fluorescence and phosphorescence
  • Spectral characteristics
  • Efficiency and kinetics
  • Classification by excitation mechanism
  • Optically excited luminescence
  • Electrically excited luminescence
  • Chemically and flame-driven luminescence
  • Excitation by particles and ionizing radiation
  • Mechanical and acoustic excitation
  • Thermally stimulated, phase-change, and temperature-associated phenomena
  • Materials and emitters
  • Measurement and characterization
  • Applications
  • Lighting and displays
  • Analytical chemistry and sensing
  • Bioimaging and medicine
  • Radiation detection and dosimetry
  • Earth science and dating
  • History
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

right|thumb|Luminol reacting with haemoglobin is a familiar demonstration of [[chemiluminescence.]] thumb|UV-induced photoluminescence used in microbiological diagnostics.

Luminescence is the emission of optical radiation (ultraviolet, visible, or infrared) by a substance due to a process other than heating. In the broad chemical/photochemical sense, luminescence is the spontaneous emission of radiation from an electronically or vibrationally excited species that is not in thermal equilibrium with its environment.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “luminescence” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (6)