热释光测年法

热释光测年法，或稱熱螢光定年法，是利用热释光效应（thermoluminescence）测量含有結晶體的礦物或燒製文物，自加熱或烧制後經過时间的一种方法。利用热释光效应，可以根据样本所释放光子的能量判断出样本自从上一次被加热后至今所接受的環境背景辐射能量之和，因而估算自加熱時間點至今經過的时间。^[1][2][3]

Figure 1: The three stages of thermoluminescence as outlined by Aitken (1985, 1998) and applied to a quartz grain (Keizars, 2008b)

Figure 2: The process of recharging and discharging thermoluminescent signal, as applied to beach sands. (modified from Aitken, 1998; Keizars, 2008a)

Figure 3: Thermoluminescence signature lost during migration of two sand grain sizes (Keizars, 2008).

Figure 4: Illustrated method of passively monitoring sand input (Keizars, 2003).

参见

• 放射测年法