A peak structure in isothermal luminescence signals in quartz: Origin and implications

Isothermal heating is commonly used in luminescence dosimetry and trap parameter studies. It is often observed that the isothermal luminescence signal has a peak shape instead of a monotonous decay form. We provide here evidence that this peak shape in quartz may equally result from a ‘thermal lag’ problem in contrast to the earlier propositions of non first-order kinetics. Temperature modelling suggests that the peak-shaped signal contains elements of both the ramped — and isothermal — thermoluminescence (TL). The modelled changes in the peak movement as a function of isothermal temperature and the ramp-rate show an excellent agreement with those obtained experimentally. This understanding of thermal lag is extended to optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) measurements for which the effects of isothermal TL contamination and changing thermal assistance during thermal equilibration are discussed. Appropriate methods are suggested to identify thermal lag on the basis of the peak structure, and to circumvent this effect in isothermal methods.     

Calibration factor for estimating personal dose equivalent with imaging plates

A personal imaging plate (IP) dosimeter is in the process of being developed for neutron fields using the BaFBr:Eu²⁺ phosphor. A configuration incorporating a polyethylene radiator placed before the IP detector is used to produce protons via (n,p) elastic scattering. For a dosimeter sensitive to thermal neutrons, a Nylon plate ( thick) is placed between the polyethylene (1.2 mm thick) radiator and the IP ( thick sensitive layer) detector to produce protons via the ¹⁴N(n,p)¹⁴C reaction. Dosimeters having these configurations have been exposed to neutrons from ²⁴¹Am–Be and ²⁵²Cf sources at the Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety of Cadarache at angles of 0 (normal incidence), 30 and 60 and several dose equivalents. The personal dose equivalent response in terms of H_p(10) is evaluated from the net measured photostimulated luminescence densities (). The calibration factor obtained for estimating the personal dose equivalent with this dosimeter is for ²⁴¹Am–Be and for ²⁵²Cf.     

Geant4 simulations for sedimentary grains in infinite matrix conditions: The case of alpha dosimetry

Simulations based on the Geant4 toolkit have been performed in order to reproduce the electromagnetic interactions of alpha particles in a spherical grain embedded in an infinite radioactive matrix and to assess several dosimetric parameters; updated alpha attenuation factors have thus been calculated for a clay matrix. Their sensitivity to the chemical composition of both the coating matrix and the grain, as well as to the water content of the matrix, has also been investigated. Finally, differences between the energetic spectrum of the incident alpha particles and the deposited energy spectrum in the grain have been highlighted for fine and coarse grains, and their impact in terms of alpha dosimetry has been discussed.     

Time-resolved OSL of natural zircon: A preliminary study

Time-resolved OSL (TR-OSL) from natural zircon (ZrSiO₄) minerals was investigated using 445 nm blue laser light for stimulation. Analyses of the TR-OSL spectra have showed that the decay is composed of two exponential components with lifetimes varying around ∼17 μs and around ∼110 μs respectively. The behaviour of these signal components, was examined under various sample treatments and experimental conditions. Preheating experiments showed that the OSL signal is stable up to temperatures ∼250 °C then becomes unstable. The dose response of the TR-OSL signal from zircon was determined in the range from 1 Gy to 1 kGy and observed to be increasing linearly. Practically, no effect of radiation dose on the lifetimes of signal components was observed. In addition, the effect of measurement temperature on the TR-OSL decay lifetimes was also investigated. Thermal quenching energies of the “fast” and the “slow” components were found to be very close to each other i.e. 0.18 and 0.24 eV respectively.     

Fiber-coupled radioluminescence dosimetry with saturated Al2O3:C crystals: Characterization in 6 and 18 MV photon beams

Radioluminescence (RL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) from carbon-doped aluminum oxide crystals can be used for medical dosimetry in external beam radiotherapy and remotely afterloaded brachytherapy. The RL/OSL signals are guided from the treatment room to the readout instrumentation using optical fiber cables, and in vivo dosimetry can be carried out in real time while the dosimeter probes are in the patient. The present study proposes a new improved readout protocol based solely on the RL signal from Al₂O₃:C. The key elements in the protocol are that Al₂O₃:C is pre-dosed with ∼20 Gy before each measurement session, and that the crystals are not perturbed by optical stimulation. Using 6 and 18 MV linear accelerator photon beams, the new RL protocol was found to have a linear dose-response from 7 mGy to 14 Gy, and dosimetry in this range could therefore be performed using a single calibration factor (∼6 × 10⁶ counts per Gy for a 2 mg crystal). The reproducibility of the RL dosimetry was 0.3% (one relative standard deviation) for doses larger than 0.1 Gy. The apparent RL sensitivity was found to change with accumulated dose ((−0.45 ± 0.03)% per 100 Gy), crystal temperature ((−0.21 ± 0.01)%/ °C), and dose-delivery rate ((−0.22 ± 0.01)% per 100 MU/min). A temporal gating technique was used for separation of RL and stem signals (i.e. Cerenkov light and fluorescence induced in the optical fiber cable during irradiation). The new readout protocol was a substantial improvement compared with the combined RL/OSL protocol, that required relatively long readout times and where the optical stimulation greatly affected the RL sensitivity. The only significant caveat was the apparent change in RL-response with accelerator dose-delivery rate.     

Science and technology with nuclear tracks in solids

Fission track dating has greatly expanded its usefulness to geology over the last 40 years. It is central to thermochronology—the use of shortened fission tracks to decipher the thermal history, movement, and provenance of rocks. When combined with other indicators, such as zircon color and (U–Th)/He, a range of temperatures from C to C can be studied. Combining fission track analysis with cosmogenic nuclide decay rates, one can study landscape development and denudation of passive margins. Technological applications have expanded from biological filters, radon mapping, and dosimetry to the use of ion track microtechnology in microlithography, micromachining by ion track etching, microscopic field emission tips, magnetic nanowires as magnetoresistive sensors, microfluidic devices, physiology of ion channels in single cells, and so on. In nuclear and particle physics, relatively insensitive glass detectors have been almost single-handedly responsible for our knowledge of cluster radioactivity, and plastic track detectors together with automated measuring systems have been used at the Bevalac, Brookhaven, CERN, and GSI, mainly to study fragmentation of high-energy heavy nuclei. Almost everything we know about the ultraheavy cosmic rays has been learned using Lexan on the Long Duration Exposure Facility and BP-1 phosphate glass on the Mir Station. New topics include development of calorimetric aerogels capable of measuring kinetic energies of hypervelocity interstellar and interplanetary dust grains in space and research on identification of strains of Bacillus spores by measurements of their size and swelling rates when humidified.     

Thermoluminescent analysis of CaSO4:Tb,Eu crystal powder for dosimetric purposes

The motivation of this work was to produce crystals of CaSO₄ doped with an unusual combination of RE elements such as terbium (Tb) and europium (Eu) in different concentrations, and analyze its thermoluminescent (TL) properties. The crystals were produced by the slow evaporation route using calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) as precursor, and incorporating the dopants (Tb₂O₃ and Eu₂O₃) in a solution of sulfuric acid, that is evaporated and collected again, leaving just CaSO₄:Tb,Eu crystal powder. The terbium and europium ions were incorporated in concentration ratios of 1:1, 2:1 and 5:1 (weight proportions). X-ray diffraction analyses showed that samples of doped CaSO₄ exhibit only a single phase corresponding to the crystal structure of anhydrite. The radioluminescence confirmed the presence of Tb³⁺ and Eu²⁺ in the crystal matrix. The CaSO₄:Tb,Eu crystal powders showed TL emission glow curves with three peaks centered around 170 °C, 270 °C and 340 °C, after irradiation with a ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y source. Thermoluminescent (TL) characteristics such as linearity, reproducibility and fading were evaluated. Samples produced with concentration ratio of 2:1 of Tb and Eu showed the highest TL intensity. The produced CaSO₄:Tb,Eu samples present TL properties useful for dosimetric purposes.     

Quantifying OH radical generation in hydrodynamic cavitation via coumarin dosimetry: Influence of operating parameters and cavitation devices

Hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) has been extensively investigated for effluent treatment applications. Performance of HC devices or processes is often reported in terms of degradation of organic pollutants rather than quantification of hydroxyl (OH) radicals. In this study, generation of OH radicals in vortex based cavitation device using coumarin dosimetry was quantified. Coumarin was used as the chemical probe with an initial concentration of 100 µM (15 ppm). Generation of OH radicals was quantified by analysing generated single hydroxylated products. The influence of operating parameters such as pH and type of acid used to adjust pH, dissolved oxygen, and inlet and outlet pressures was investigated. Acidic pH was found to be more conducive for generating OH radicals and therefore subsequent experiments were performed at pH of 3. Sulphuric acid was found to be more than three times effective than hydrochloric acid in generating OH radicals. Effect of initial levels of dissolved oxygen was found to influence OH radical generation. Performance of vortex based cavitation device was then compared with other commonly used cavitation devices based on orifice and venturi. The vortex based cavitation device was found to outperform the orifice and venturi based devices in terms of initial per-pass factor. Influence of device scale (nominal flow rate through the device) on performance was then evaluated. The results presented for these devices unambiguously quantifies their cavitational performance. The presented results will be useful for evaluating computational models and stimulate further development of predictive computational models in this challenging area.     

Dosimetric model of human lung and associated computer program

The dosimetric human respiratory tract model given in ICRP Publication 66 and ICRP Vol. 32 is briefly described in this paper. The associated home-written computer programs for calculations of radiation dose from radon and its short-lived progeny are presented, together with some representative results.      

The effects of temperature on ESR spectrum of gamma-irradiated ammonium tartrate

Unirradiated ammonium tartrate (AT) samples do not exhibit any ESR signal. However, irradiation produces an unresolved singlet at g=2.0034±0.0006 with two shoulders at g₁=2.0093±0.0006 and g₂=2.0048±0.0006. The dose–response curve was found to increase linearly with the applied radiation doses in the range of 0.1–2.0 kGy and the slope of this curve was increased as the modulation amplitude increased. The activation energy value E_a=69.0±1.2 kJ/mol was calculated from Arrhenius plot for the radical species responsible from ESR spectrum of irradiated AT.