Tritium radioluminescence Tritium radioluminescence Tritium radioluminescence is the use of gaseous tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, to create visible light. Tritium emits electrons through beta decay and, when they interact with a phosphor material, light is emitted through the process of phosphorescence. The overall process of using a radioactive material to excite a phosphor and ultimately generate light is called radioluminescence. As tritium illumination requires no electrical energy, it has found wide use in applications such as emergency exit signs, illumination of wristwatches, and portable yet very reliable sources of low intensity light which won't degrade human night vision. Gun sights
Tritium radioluminescence for night use and small lights (which need to be more reliable than battery powered lights yet not interfere with night vision or be bright enough to easily give away one's location) used mostly by military personnel fall under the latter application. Tritium lighting is made using glass tubes with a phosphor layer in them and tritium gas inside the tube. Such a tube is known as a "gaseous tritium light source" (GTLS), or "beta light" (since the tritium undergoes beta decay). The tritium in a gaseous tritium light source undergoes beta decay, releasing electrons that cause the phosphor layer