Acquisition of Equipment to Expand a Thermoluminescence Research and Dating Laboratory

9305692 Berger该奖项提供60%的费用用于改进西华盛顿大学地质系热释光（TL）测年实验室的实验室设备。大学承诺提供设备升级所需的剩余资金。热发光年表利用矿物颗粒作为自然辐射剂量计的事实，能够储存它们在表面或接近表面时吸收的来自低水平环境电离辐射（α, β， γ射线）的一部分能量。由于日光会使光敏电子陷阱空化，加热会使所有电子陷阱（即热稳定缺陷部位）空化，因此未加热样品最后暴露在日光下的时间或火山加热材料的最后加热时间可以用TL方法测定。在地球表面温度下，辐射能的储存可容纳约100万年，这使得TL方法对第四纪事件的计时特别有用。西华盛顿大学实验室改进后的能力将用于需要测定第四纪样品年代的研究项目。＊＊＊

9305692 Berger This award provides 60% of the cost of improving the laboratory equipment in the thermoluminescence (TL) dating laboratory in the Department of Geology at the Western Washington University. The University is committed to providing the remaining funds needed for the equipment upgrade. Thermal luminescence chronology uses the fact that mineral grains act as dosimeters of natural radiation capable of storing a portion of the energy from low-level environmental ionizing radiation (alpha, beta, gamma rays) which they absorb while at or near the surface. Because daylight empties light-sensitive electron traps and heating empties all electron traps (i.e., thermally stable defect sites) the time of last exposure to daylight of unheated samples or the last heating of volcanically heated materials can be dated with TL methods. At earth surface temperatures the storage of radiation energy can be accommodated for up to about one million years, making the TL method especially useful for timing events in the Quaternary period. The improved capabilities of the Western Washington University lab will be used in research projects which require dating of Quaternary samples. ***