Metastable states called traps in minerals are responsible for the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) exploited in dating sediments and thermochronometry. The accuracy of trap parameters that determine the OSL thermal stability is crucial for the quality of results. A method of trap parameter determination used more and more often is the isothermal holding experiment. The problem that makes measurement results hard to interpret is the presence of other traps in the sample apart from the investigated one. Here, simulations of basic processes during isothermal holding experiments are made for a model including three traps. They prove that the irradiation dose and preheat impact the estimated trap parameters. In the presented results of experiments for quartz, which is a much more complex system than the considered model, one can recognize the characteristic effects observed in the simulations. The ways of recognizing the effects responsible for disturbances of results and improving measurements are indicated.
Trapped charge dating method using electron spin resonance (ESR) of quartz is progressively used for sediment dating. ESR signals can be used for accurate age estimation only when these signals are zeroed by sunlight exposure before the layer creation or when one knows their ESR residual level (the part of the signal that is not bleached). It is well known that the ESR signal related to the Al-hole centres in quartz used for sediment dating has a significant residual signal. From the point of view of luminescence models, as a hole trap, the Al-hole centre is considered as a recombination centre in quartz. Recently, it was demonstrated experimentally that the ESR signal of the Al-hole centre is dependent on the total dose absorbed by the quartz sample in the past. The same effect was confirmed by simulations of the charge transport processes for a model including two recombination centres. Here, the dependence of residual hole concentration (RHC) in the recombination centres on the total dose absorbed by a sample in the past is studied in detail by computer simulations for a wide range of model parameters. The impact that the various relations of centre parameters have on the dependence of the residual as a function of dose is investigated and the implications for the dating practice are discussed.
'/%3e%3c/defs%3e%3cpath fill='%23012169' d='M0 0h10080v5040H0z'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23fff' stroke-width='.6' d='m0 0 6 3m0-3L0 3' clip-path='url(%23b)' transform='scale(840)'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23e4002b' stroke-width='.4' d='m0 0 6 3m0-3L0 3' clip-path='url(%23c)' transform='scale(840)'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23fff' stroke-width='840' d='M2520 0v2520M0 1260h5040'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23e4002b' stroke-width='504' d='M2520 0v2520M0 1260h5040'/%3e%3cg fill='%23fff'%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23d' x='2520' y='3780'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' x='7560' y='4200'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' x='6300' y='2205'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' x='7560' y='840'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' x='8680' y='1869'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23e' x='8064' y='2730'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
