Comparison of blue and red TL from quartz

Following a suggestion by Scholefield and Prescott that blue and red emissions in quartz may involve the same electron traps, we have made a detailed study of blue and red TL glow peaks in some Australian sedimentary quartz samples (Scholefield, R.B., Prescott, J.R., 1999. The red thermoluminescence of quartz: 3-D spectral measurements. Radiat. Meas. 30, pp. 83–95). Allowing for thermal quenching of the blue TL, the Rapidly Bleaching Peak (at 325°C for a ramp rate of 20 K s⁻¹) and the low temperature peaks at 140–220°C appear to be identical in the blue and red. We conclude that the electron traps are the same, but that the blue and red luminescence centers probably do not occur in the same grains. On present evidence we cannot determine whether or not the Slowly Bleaching Peak (at 375°C for 20 K s⁻¹) involves the same traps in the blue as in the red. As did Scholefield and Prescott, we find no evidence of a red peak at 100°C.     

Luminescence property of volcanic quartz and the use of red isothermal TL for dating tephras

An optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) age obtained from a Japanese tephra using quartz phenocrysts severely underestimated the known age. The characteristics of the OSL signals were investigated in order to understand the cause of the underestimation; the main OSL component of volcanic quartz has a thermodynamic lifetime of about 1700 years at room temperature, and it also seems to fade anomalously (i.e. athermally). Measurement of conventional red thermoluminescence (RTL) using a Ga–As photomultiplier tube was difficult due to the presence of a strong thermal background, although RTL gave an age consistent with the independent age. Furthermore, red isothermal TL (RITL) at 380 °C allowed the RTL signal to be separated from to the thermal background, and RITL ages of three volcanic quartz samples show good agreement with independent ages.     

Extending the time range of luminescence dating using red TL (RTL) from volcanic quartz

The potential of red thermoluminescence (RTL) emission from quartz, as a dosimeter for baked sediments and volcanic deposits, has received some attention over the past decade. While there have been some important observations relating to signal stability, saturation characteristics and emission wavebands, there has not been a systematic analysis of RTL properties of older (i.e., >1 Ma), quartz-bearing known age volcanic deposits. We have undertaken such an analysis using independently-dated silicic volcanic deposits from New Zealand, ranging in age from 300 ka through to 1.6 Ma. We observed a complex RTL emission in most volcanic quartzes, which consists of a number of discrete high temperature (i.e, >220°C) TL peaks. Isothermal analysis indicates a stable dating trap (E=2.03 eV; S=4.20×10¹⁵) which is stable at ambient (c. 20°C) temperatures for >10⁹ a. We confirm the slow onset of saturation with dose, and the limited extent of sensitivity changes due to dosing and TL readout. As such, there is much potential for exploiting the dosimeter in dating studies and we present the results from a modified single aliquot regenerative (SAR) procedures which indicate that there is a good agreement between RTL dating and other methods over time scales 10⁵–10⁶ a. This paper presents a summary of the most important related results of our findings and outlines the configuration of photomultiplier and filter combinations which maximizes RTL detection for temperatures up to 500°C.     

Effects of annealing on TL sensitivity of granitic quartz

A TL sensitivity change can usually be observed after the quartz sample is heated to a high temperature. The change of 110°C TL peak or PTTL was reported to be an increase in many studies. The change of TL sensitivity of other TL peaks, mainly 150 and 375°C, with annealing treatments was demonstrated in this study. Two types of TL sensitivities in granitic quartz were found. One type is the low temperature TL sensitivity (<250°C) which increases with annealing time and temperature. Another type is the high temperature TL sensitivity (>250°C) which usually decreases after annealing. If the TL sensitivity is a measure of the population of associated TL traps, the trap population is a potential geochronometer to date a cooling age of a granite host.     

TL signatures of quartz grains of different origin

Quartz grains containing different impurities and at different concentrations exhibit different characteristic TL spectra when heated. This property is used to demonstrate the possibility of units within a sedimentary sequence being derived from more than one source and thus being suggestive of a switch in sedimentary supply. This empirical study utilizes this difference in TL signature of trace the movement of sand across the source bordering dunes of the Finke River and shows the input of colluvial sediment into an otherwise alluvial sedimentary sequence.     

Interlaboratory beta source calibration using TL and OSL on natural quartz

Laboratories using luminescence methods for dose reconstruction have to make interlaboratory source calibrations—initially this will be a single isotope beta or gamma source using one particular reference material. The procedure requires not only the administration of exact doses to the material but also the uniform handling of the dosimetric material and standardization of the procedures. An interlaboratory calibration of an Sr-90 beta source was recently carried out by our five laboratories which are involved in a retrospective project. The reference material was quartz but there were difficulties finding sufficient suitable quartz. Five different batches were obtained from the Merck company and tested for sensitivity, linearity and stability of the 340°C peak, the 1992 batch was found to be the most appropriate. The irradiations were performed at the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory at GSF using a Co-60 source as well as the in situ measurements with an ionization chamber, calibrated to the primary standards of PTB Braunschweig. Irradiated and unirradiated quartz was distributed to the five laboratories and although different procedures were used for thermoluminescence and optically stimulated luminescence, the source calibrations for the different laboratories agreed within ±3% compared to the previous calibrations of the laboratories.     

Crushing effects on TL and OSL on quartz: relevance to fault dating

The effect of crushing on the TL and OSL signals in quartz was investigated to examine the feasibility of using OSL and TL for dating of faulted rocks. 275°C TL signals were not reduced by crushing by hand (mortar and pestle), in a pellet die press, or using an automatic mortar and pestle, but the sensitivity of the 100°C TL signal to a test dose decreased in crushed samples. Green light-stimulated OSL signal intensities were not decreased after crushing, but showed strongly increased inter-aliquot variability after crushing. We concluded that OSL and TL in quartz might be useful to characterize the crushing history of quartz in fault rocks, but their usefulness in dating fault events was not evident because we did not find evidence of signal zeroing under the conditions used in this study.     

Spectral signature of single-grain quartz using a high-sensitivity TL imaging system

The spectral signature of individual quartz grains were measured using a high-sensitivity thermoluminescence imaging system based on a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and custom optics. Luminescence emission behaviour was characterised for individual quartz grains (180–212 μm), with single grains shown to emit luminescence strongly across multiple signal bands. The spectral profiles of three quartz samples from contrasting geological contexts were then compared, with clear distinction in the spectral signatures of individual grains originating from single deposits within each provenance.     

Investigating signal evolution: A comparison of red and UV/blue TL,and UV OSL emissions from the same quartz sample

Samples from plutonic geological settings emit strong and stable UV, blue and red luminescence. These samples provide a unique opportunity to investigate the evolution of luminescence emissions by comparing their origin, intensity, trapping and recombination characteristics. In addition, the D_e derived from certain techniques can be used to investigate D_e consistency. Thus, UV and red signals emitted by the same sample of grantic quartz have been compared according to the strength and shape of the emissions, response to annealing and dose, growth characteristics and the resulting D_e derived from single-aliquot regeneration (SAR – UV emissions) and the dual-aliquot protocol for red TL (DAP – red emissions). This comparison of UV and red D_e values can be used as an alternative measure of accuracy for depositional situations where independent age control is not available. Furthermore, this comparison has been extended to a single-grain level to determine if UV and red signals are emitted by the same quartz grain. The resulting comparisons demonstrate that both signals are strong, reproducible, are suitable for dating, and a comparison of D_e is a valid internal check of consistency. The single-grain analysis demonstrates that the grains contain UV and red recombination centres rather than the typical characteristics of just beta or alpha quartz. Thus it has been suggested that the emissions relate to post-origin modifications of the signal rather than its thermal origin. This type of comparative analysis provides clues as to the source and evolution of the signals, provides a greater understanding of the complexities of the luminescence signal and a possible solution for accuracy testing in challenging depositional contexts.     

Effect of annealing temperature on determining trap depths of quartz by various heating rates method

The aim of this study is to determine the trap parameters (trap depth E, frequency factor s) of quartz using various heating rates method and also to investigate the effect of annealing temperature on determining trap depths. The method is based on the positions of the thermoluminescence peaks, obtained from the change in temperature of the peak at maximum caused by changing the heating rate at which the sample is measured. In the present work, powder quartz samples were annealed first at different temperatures before irradiation. Then samples irradiated to different doses were measured with a TL reader at different heating rates and the glow curves were recorded. In order to calculate the trap depth E and the frequency factor s, the glow parameter T_m was determined experimentally from the glow curve by measuring the shift of the maximum peak temperature depending on heating rate β. The calculation of trap parameters was repeated for each annealing temperature. Then the effect of annealing temperature on trap depths calculated by the various heating rates method was evaluated.     

The effects of heating on color centers in germanium-doped quartz

Optical absorption, electron paramagnetic resonance absorption, and thermoluminescence have been measured in germanium-doped quartz crystals which have been X-irradiated at room temperature and subsequently heated. Strong bleaching of the 280 nm optical absorption and the A and C center magnetic resonance absorptions coincided with maxima of the total thermoluminescent glow curve. The temperature at which these several phenomena occurred varied for different quartz samples.     

Application of the single-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol to the 375°C quartz TL signal

We report on investigations into the suitability of a single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol applied to the isothermal TL signal obtained from quartz held at 330°C. Samples are first thermally and optically pretreated to remove any signal from the 325°C TL trap. It is shown that the regenerated TL decay curve has the same shape as the natural one, and that recuperation is negligible. Examination of the TL glow curve before and after isothermal measurement suggests that the isothermal signal comes mainly from the 375°C TL peak, and a pulse anneal experiment is used to confirm this. This signal is bleached by simulated sunlight, with a fast component (making up about 60% of the total natural signal) bleaching about 30 times faster than a slower component. The SAR protocol is then applied to 9 samples from various depositional environments, and it is shown that the resulting data satisfy the internal checks of reliability, i.e., independence of prior treatment, and absence of recuperation. Examination of the sensitivity-corrected growth curve shows that the applicable age range for this signal may be only slightly greater than that from the OSL signal derived from the 325°C peak. This limited advantage is offset by the much greater difficulty of bleaching.     

Study of the 110°C TL peak sensitivity in optical dating of quartz

As the 110°C TL emission in quartz uses the same luminescence centers as the OSL emission, the 110°C TL signal from a test dose may be used to monitor the OSL sensitivity change. It is thus important to study the relationship between the 110°C TL peak and the OSL sensitivity in studies related to optical dating from quartz. We have conducted a series of experiments using sedimentary quartz, where the annealing temperatures were varied between 260 and 1000°C before the measurement of OSL and 110°C TL sensitivities. Another series of experiments on two sedimentary quartz samples investigated the 110°C TL peak and OSL dose-dependent sensitivity change after different annealing temperatures. In these experiments, the 110°C TL and OSL signals from the test dose are shown to have similar sensitization characteristics: the 110°C TL sensitivity change is proportional to the OSL sensitivity change if the annealing temperature is lower than 500°C. It is concluded that the 110°C TL signal can be used to correct the OSL sensitivity change in the single-aliquot additive-dose protocol.     

Entropy generation rate during laser pulse heating: Effect of laser pulse parameters on entropy generation rate

Laser pulse heating of solid surface and entropy generation during the heating process are considered. Time exponentially decaying pulse is accommodated in the analysis and the laser pulse parameter (β₁/β₂) resulting in minimum entropy generation rate is computed. Analytical solutions for temperature rise are presented and volumetric entropy generation rate is formulated. Two laser pulses resulting in low volumetric entropy generation rate are examined in detail and volumetric entropy generation rate is associated with the laser pulse parameter (β₁/β₂). It is found that volumetric entropy generation rate attains high values in the early heating period due to large (1/T²). Moreover, the laser pulse with high-peak intensity results in lower volumetric entropy generation rate than that corresponding to the low-intensity laser pulse with the same energy content.     

Dielectric heating of quartz oscillating in several organic liquids

The dielectric heating in quartz has been measured by the substitution method and its dependence on the nature of the liquid in which the crystal oscillates has been examined.     

The effect of the heating rate on the phase transition

ABSTRACT

The simple cubic spin-1 Ising model exhibits the ferromagnetic (F)–ferromagnetic (F) phase transition in the low temperature region for the interval 1.40 < d = D/J < 1.48 at k = K/J = –0.5. The degree of the F-F phase transition determines the special point on the (k_BT/J, d) phase diagram. In this paper, the critical behavior of the F-F phase transition was investigated for different heating rates using the cellular automaton heating algorithm. The universality class and the type of F-F phase transition were analyzed using the finite-size scaling theory and the power law relations. The results show that the F-F phase transition may be the second order, the first order or the weak first order depending on the heating rate in the interval 1.40 < d < 1.48 for k = –0.5.     

Decline of nucleation in the heating process with a high heating rate

The effect of the heating rate on the nucleation of metallic glass in a rapid heating process starting from the glass transition temperature is investigated. The critical nucleus radius increases with the increase of the temperature of the undercooling liquid. If the increment rate of the critical nucleus radius, owing to the heating process, is higher than the growth rate of the nuclei, the nuclei generated at the low temperature will become the embryos at the high temperature. This means that the high heating rate can make no nucleation happen in the heating process. In consideration of the interfacial energy, the growth rate of the nuclei increases with the increase of their size and the growth rate of the critical nucleus is zero. Thus, the lower heating rate can also make the nuclei decline partially. Finally, this theory is used to analyze the nucleation process during laser remelting metallic glass.     

Effect of activator content on the TL of pretreated NaCl:Sr

Investigation of the thermoluminescence of Sr⁺⁺ doped NaCl phosphors indicate that a glow peak at 410 K has marked dependence on the thermal and mechanical teratments as well as on the concentration of the dopant. The results obtained are explained on the basis of the elastic interaction of the dipoles with the generated dislocation.