Acoustical emission and fractoluminescence from the Ar+-implanted fused SiO2

•Fused quartz was implanted by 40 keV Ar+ ions with various fluence•Localized surface damage was produced by pointed striker•Fractoluminescence (FL) excited by impact forcing was recorded•Acoustic emission (AE) from nucleated and growing microcracks was detected•Energy distributions in FL and AE pulses were calculated and analyzed Chemically inert 40 keV Ar+ ions were implanted into fused SiO2 with doses in the range of 1×1014 to 1×1016 ion/cm2. The implanted specimens were subjected to the localized impact damaging by a pointed striker. The acoustic emission method was applied to assess the dependence of the microcracking process on the implantation dose. The fractoluminescence method showed the generation of non-bridged oxygen hole centers (NBOHC) [Si–O–] in newly formed microcracks. The performed experiments revealed a critical fluence, which affected in a non-linear manner the fractoluminescent activity due to changes in the mechanical properties of the Ar+-treated surface layer. An interplay between random and correlated damage accumulation at various structural levels was demonstrated.