Laser-induced time-resolved luminescence in analysis of rare earth elements in apatite and calcite

Laser-induced time-resolved luminescence was used to study rare earth element (REE) containing natural apatite and calcite minerals. The luminescence from 400 nm to 700 nm in the minerals was analyzed with excitation ranges 210–340 nm and 405–535 nm. As an outcome, several useful excitation wavelengths to detect one or more REE from apatite and calcite are reported. The feasibility of selected excitations in e.g. avoiding the disturbance of intense Mn2+ luminescence band, results was demonstrated with a non-gated detector.