Evolution of anion and cation excitons in alkali halide crystals

The manifestations of the existence of free anion excitons, the processes of their self-trapping, and the coexistence of mobile and self-trapped excitons (STEs) in wide-gap alkali halide crystals are reviewed. The radiative channel of decay of anion excitons, yielding luminescence, and a particular type of nonradiative channel with the creation of elementary Frenkel defects (FDs) are considered. We analyzed the criteria for the efficiency of this channel for defect formation, possible mechanisms for the decay of self-trapped excitons with the production of neutral and charged anion Frenkel defects, and the processes of multiplication of electronic excitations in alkali halide crystals. Particular attention is paid to the decay of cation excitons, including from the point of view of the possibility of the low-temperature creation of elementary Frenkel defects in the cation sublattice of alkali halide crystals.