CALIBRATION OF THERMOLUMINESCENCE OPTICALLY STIMULATED LUMINESCENCE READER USING QUARTZ IN DATING LABORATORY, MALAYSIAN NUCLEAR AGENCY

Abstract

The TL OSL reader is a tool for dating applications in a variety of fields. One of the main components of an TL OSL reader is the irradiation source. Calibration of irradiation sources for readers can be carried out using quartz. It is important to calibrate the reader before performing the dating method to ensure equivalent dose  within the acceptance range. Quartz was measured using the Single Aliquot Regeneration (SAR) protocol. Measurements obtained an average dose rate of 28.87 ± 0.43 Gy (n = 10) with a ratio in the range <5%. In addition, the measurement also found that the value of 2θ is equivalent to 70%. The central point for dose distribution was at 28.30 Gy, with only 3 quartz samples getting dose readings outside the dispersion bar. The overdispersion measured doses were 26.62, 27.68 and 31.56 Gy. The ratio of received dose/measured dose is in the range of 0.887-1.052, which showed that there was no significant signal loss. Therefore, we conclude that this reader is acceptable for carrying out the dating method and it is recommended to use different doses as well as more detailed SAR protocols for further study.