A mechanism was suggested for the room-temperature irradiation-induced strengthening of crystals. It was shown that a deformation-stimulated luminescence was caused by the destruction of hole color centers which strengthened the crystals via dislocations.

Dislocation Interaction with Radiation Defects in Alkali-Halide Crystals. V.A.Zakrevskiĭ, A.V.Shuldiner: Physics of the Solid State, 2000, 42[2], 270-3