General features and kinetic analysis of thermoluminescence from annealed natural quartz

The aim of this study is to explore the thermoluminescence properties of beta irradiated natural quartz annealed at 900 °C, that is, beyond its second phase inversion temperature of 867 °C. The sample was annealed to improve its sensitivity and to deplete any residual charge from electron traps. The glow-curve corresponding to 10 Gy shows three peaks when measured at 1 °C/s; a dominant one at 71 °C, the subject of this report, and two other ones at 125 and 177 °C. The dose response of the main peak was studied in the range 1-300 Gy. The activation energy of the main glow-peak was evaluated as ~1 eV. Kinetic analyses using various methods show that the main glow-peak follows first order kinetics.