Radiation Dosimetry using Pulsed Optically Stimulated Luminescence of Al2O3:C

Abstract

A method of radiation dosimetry is described using pulsed optically stimulated luminescence (POSL). An irradiated sample is stimulated with a series of light pulses from a laser tuned to an appropriate wavelength. The emitted light, due to the detrapping of charges and their subsequent recombination with charges of the opposite sign, is synchronously detected in the period between each stimulation pulse. The total luminescence is summed over the desired number of stimulation pulses and this forms the measured POSL signal. Key parameters in the method are the intrinsic luminescence lifetime for the material being used as the luminescent detector, the width of the optical stimulation pulse, and the period between pulses. By appropriate choice of the power of the optical stimulation, the frequency of the stimulation pulses, and the total stimulation period, one can also re-measure the absorbed dose several times. The method is illustrated using a Nd:YAG laser and aluminium oxide as the luminescent material.