ABSTRACT
This chapter describes temperature and thermal history sensors based on microparticle or nanoparticle luminescence. It examines the luminescence of the particles in the debris or measured in a laboratory and can ascertain the distribution of temperatures seen in the periphery of an explosive fireball. The violent chemical reactions and rapid changes in pressure and temperature make sensing with conventional electronics virtually impossible. Any sensor that is placed inside a fire or explosion will be subject to conditions so violent that they are likely to destroy any mechanical components or conventional electronics. A luminescent material is one that emits light in response to some external stimulus such as heat or optical pumping. The use of mineral or ceramic luminescence to determine temperature has been utilized previously in space sciences and archeology but not extensively because of complications in assessing initial trap populations among other issues.
