Define luminescence dating

It is useful to geologists and archaeologists who want to know when such an event occurred.

It uses various methods to stimulate and measure luminescence.

In order to relate the luminescence given off by the sample to an age, we first need to obtain the dose equivalent to the burial dose.

All sediments and soils contain trace amounts of radioactive isotopes of elements such as potassium, uranium, thorium, and rubidium.

These slowly decay over time and the ionizing radiation they produce is absorbed by mineral grains in the sediments such as quartz and potassium feldspar.

As a result, there is no upper date limit set by the sensitivity of the method itself, although other factors may limit the method's feasibility.

Two forms of luminescence dating are used by archaeologists to date events in the past: thermoluminescence (TL) or thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL), which measures energy emitted after an object has been exposed to temperatures between 400 and 500°C; and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), which measures energy emitted after an object has been exposed to daylight.

It includes techniques such as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL), and thermoluminescence dating (TL).