AgesGalore—A software program for evaluating spatially resolved luminescence data

Low-light luminescence is usually recorded by photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) yielding integrated photon-number data. Highly sensitive CCD (charged coupled device) detectors allow for the spatially resolved recording of luminescence. The resulting two-dimensional images require suitable software for data processing. We present a recently developed software program specially designed for equivalent-dose evaluation in the framework of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. The software is capable of appropriate CCD data handling, parameter estimation using a Bayesian approach, and the pixel-wise fitting of functions for time and dose dependencies to the luminescence signal. The results of the fitting procedure and the equivalent-dose evaluation can be presented and analyzed both as spatial and as frequency distributions.