Sputtering and luminescence in electronically excited solid argon.

We have measured both the ultraviolet luminescence and the ejection of atomic argon from solid argon films electronically excited by MeV light ions. The two measurements reflect the radiative and the non-radiative parts of the energy release during electronic recombination and deexcitation. They can both be accounted for by a model of diffusion of ionic excitons followed by formation and decay of self-trapped excitons.