A real-time investigation of the explosive decomposition of heavy-metal azi
des is reported. A multichannel instrument configuration designed specifica
lly for the goals of the study is described; it is capable of measuring the
transient conductivity and the spectral and kinetic characteristics of the
luminescence and absorption of exploding samples with nanosecond time reso
lution. New phenomena are discovered and analyzed in detail: the predetonat
ion conductivity and predetonation luminescence of heavy-metal azides. The
conductivity of silver azide in the predetonation state is used to make an
experimentally justified decision as to whether the explosion is driven by
a thermal or chain mechanism, in favor of the latter. The sum-total of the
new data provides the basis for the development of an experimentally justif
ied model of predetonation luminescence and the explosive decomposition pro
cess of heavy-metal azides, including the following principal stages: hole
trapping by a cation vacancy, reconstruction of the center as a result of c
hemical reaction with the formation of a quasi-local hole state in the vale
nce band, hole detrapping from the reconstructed center, carrier multiplica
tion as a result of impact ionization by hot holes, and reconstruction of a
local state in the bandgap, thereby establishing conditions for repetition
of the investigated chain of processes. (C) 1999 American Institute of Phy
sics. [S1063-7761(99)01311-6].