a b s t r a c tNanoparticles of Mg 2 SiO 4 :Eu 3 þ have been prepared by the solution combustion technique and the grain size estimated by PXRD is found to be in the range 40-50 nm. Ionoluminescence (IL) studies of Mg 2 SiO 4 :Eu 3 þ pellets bombarded with 100 MeV Si 8 þ ions with fluences in the range 1.124-22.48 Â 10 12 ions cm À 2 are carried out at IUAC, New Delhi, India. Five prominent IL bands with peaks at 580 nm, 590 nm, 612 nm, 655 nm and 705 nm are recorded. These characteristic emissions are attributed to the luminescence centers activated by Eu 3 þ cations. It is found that IL intensity decreases rapidly in the beginning. Later on, the intensity decreases slowly with further increase of ion fluence. The reduction in the ionoluminescence intensity with increase of ion fluence might be attributed to degradation of Si-O (n 3 ) and Si-O (2n 3 ) bonds present on the surface of the sample. The red emission with peak at 612 nm is due to characteristic emission of 5 D 0 -7 F 2 of the Eu 3 þ cations. Thermoluminescence (TL) studies of Mg 2 SiO 4 :Eu 3 þ pellets bombarded with 100 MeV Si 8 þ cations with fluences in the range 5 Â 10 11 ions cm À 2 to 5 Â 10 13 ions cm À 2 are made at RT. Two prominent and well resolved TL glows with peaks at $ 220 1C and $ 370 1C are observed. It is observed that TL intensity increases with increase of ion fluence. This might be due to creation of new traps during swift heavy ion irradiation.