Luminescence

Luminescence is the emission of light not resulting from heat.

All luminescence requires some input of energy to cause the light emission.

•Photoluminescence
• Energy source – Absorption of electromagnetic radiation (photons)
• Includes:
• Fluorescence – rapid (nanoseconds) emission of photons as electrons jump from excited state to ground level
• Phosphorescence – delayed (milliseconds to hours) emission of photons
•Chemiluminescence
• Energy source – chemical reaction
• Includes:
• Bioluminescence – the production and emission of light by a living organism.
• Electrochemiluminescence – resulting from electrochemical reactions
•Electroluminescence
• Energy source – electric current passing through a substance

Some examples:
– Fluorescent lights, including both the long tubes in many buildings and the spiral compact fluorescents that replace the traditional bulbs,
work by a combination of electroluminescence and fluorescence.
An electric discharge passes through mercury gas vapor inside the tube, producing strong emissions in the ultraviolet.
The inside of the glass is coated with a material called a phosphor that absorbs the ultraviolet and re-emits it as visible light by fluorescence.

– Glow-in-the-dark materials, like the plastic stars in kids’ rooms, work by phosphorescence, absorbing energy while they are exposed to light
and releasing it over time.