Analytical expressions for time-resolved optically stimulated luminescence experiments in quartz

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signals can be obtained using a time-resolved optical stimulation (TR-OSL) method, also known as pulsed OSL. During TR-OSL measurements, the stimulation and emission of luminescence are experimentally separated in time using short light pulses. This paper presents analytical expressions for the TR-OSL intensity observed during and after such a pulse in quartz experiments. The analytical expressions are derived using a recently published kinetic model which describes thermal quenching phenomena in quartz samples. In addition, analytical expressions are derived for the concentration of electrons in the conduction band during and after the TR-OSL pulse, and for the maximum signals attained during optical stimulation of the samples. The relevance of the model for dosimetric applications is examined, by studying the dependence of the maximum TR-OSL signals on the degree of initial trap filling, and also on the probability of electron retrapping into the dosimetric trap. Analytical expressions are derived for two characteristic times of the TR-OSL mechanism: these times are the relaxation time for electrons in the conduction band, and the corresponding relaxation time for the radiative transition within the luminescence center. The former relaxation time is found to depend on several experimental parameters, while the latter relaxation time depends only on internal parameters characteristic of the recombination center. These differences between the two relaxation times can be explained by the presence of localized and delocalized transitions in the quartz sample. The analytical expressions in this paper are shown to be equivalent to previous analytical expressions derived using a different mathematical approach. A description of thermal quenching processes in quartz based on AlO4-/AlO4 defects is presented, which illustrates the connection between the different descriptions of the luminescence process found in the literature. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.