Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1881218 | Radiation Measurements | 2009 | 6 Pages |
We examined basic properties of isothermal red thermoluminescence (IRTL) based on analyses of late Pleistocene volcanic quartz grains. Newly designed apparatus, consisting of a red-sensitive PMT (H7421-40; Hamamatsu Photonics) and a combination of two filters (R60 and IRC-65L), was used to obtain IRTL signals at around 600 nm. Following preheating of the quartz grains at various temperatures, the signal was detected at a rate of 100 ms/gate for 1400 s by holding an aliquot at a fixed temperature of 390 or 410 °C. A heat-down curve (HDC) at a fixed temperature was successfully detected in the preliminary experiments. We also evaluated a high-dose saturation up to 20 kGy, corrected for sensitivity changes.IRTL dating using the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) method was tentatively applied to the volcanic quartz. Dose-response curves were calculated based on the sum of IRTL signal counts for 1 s (10 gates) at the beginning of the HDC. The obtained IRTL ages, derived from fixed temperatures of 390 and 410 °C, were in the range 112 ± 12–108 ± 10 ka, consistent with the expected age of 112–115 ka.