Thermoluminescence Theory and Analysis: Advances and Impact on Applications

Thermoluminescence (TL) refers to the emission of light during heating of a material previously excited by ionizing radiation. The TL mechanisms are described herein with the emphasis on the kinetic theory of trapping and recombination based on the energy bandgap model and the solution of multiple, non-linear, and coupled differential equations. These are used to simulate glow curve structure, dose-response, and activation energies. Linear/superlinear dose-response is explained on the basis of nanodosimetric concepts involving the joint electron-hole occupation of trapping center/luminescent center spatially correlated complexes. The major applications of TL (dosimetry and dating) are described as well as the modern methods of analysis of the TL signal.