Certain materials emit visible light when subjected to excitation by ultra-violet radiation or an electron "gun" bombardment under the microscope.
Observations in CL mode are best made on polished thin sections or uncovered mounted sections. The associated techniques of ultra-violet fluorescence and cathodoluminescence microscopy provide complementary information to normal optical transmitted and reflected light microscopy in the micro-characterisation of materials.
A combined ultra-violet (UV) and cathodoluminesce (CL) facility based on a research-quality Nikon transmitted light microscope equipped with image capturing systems is available and suitable for observations at magnifications up to x500.
Observations in UV mode can be made on a wider range of sample types including liquids and unmounted grains and powders.
Observations in CL mode are best made on polished thin sections or uncovered mounted sections.
Applications include:
Identification of growth zone patterns in minerals and gemstones (CL)
Identification of limestone cements and their history (CL)
Identification of oil-bearing inclusions in rocks and minerals (UV)
