A new effect of illumination upon the ionic conductivity and activation energy for migration of mobile Ag+ cations in superionic crystals was studied. Reversible changes in the structure of electronic centers were caused by elastic strain around these centers. The effect of elastic deformation upon the process of ionic transport and the activation energy for the diffusion of mobile Ag cations was studied. A photo-stimulated recovery of the ionic conductivity, after a change due to preliminary illumination of the superionic crystal with light (430nm), was detected. This recovery of the ionic conductivity was attributed to the excitation of centers in complexes that had been generated by previous illumination of the samples.

Ionic Photoconductivity - a New Physical Phenomenon in Superionic Crystals. S.Bredikhin: Solid State Ionics, 2000, 136-137, 387-92