New Automated thermoluminescence/optically stimulated luminescence (TL/OSL) Reader for Luminescence Dating

在国家科学基金会的支持下，詹姆斯·费瑟斯博士领导的华盛顿大学发光测年实验室将购买一台RISO自动TL/OLS阅读器，该阅读器带有自动处理器，可以进行单颗粒发光测定。由于它比实验室目前使用的仪器效率更高，RISO机器将既增加产量又降低每份样本的成本。华盛顿实验室是美国唯一一家定期为考古样本提供几种类型的发光分析(TL、OSL、IRSL)的设施，由此产生的日期对考古学家来说发挥着越来越重要的作用。由于有机材料只存在于有限数量的地点，许多此类事件不能进行放射性碳测年，因此发光往往是唯一的选择。使用一系列方法，通常可以获得陶瓷或土壤的年代，在前一种情况下，发光比放射性碳更有优势，因为它可以直接测定感兴趣的物体的年龄，而不是相关的材料。费瑟斯博士已经证明，发光可能和放射性碳一样准确。传统的发光技术分析由许多单个颗粒组成的大块样品，结果可能会有问题，因为可能存在多个年龄和曝光历史的颗粒。Riso自动阅读器等机器避免了这个问题，因为它们可以确定单个谷物的日期。单个读数的分布提供了对样品本身的性质的洞察--包括混合漂白和不同程度的漂白--因此，多重测定允许更好地测定准确性。费瑟斯的研究既是为了改进技术本身，也是为了将其应用于具有人类学意义的考古遗址。他讨论了美国南部复杂社会的发展、人类进入新世界的时间以及撒哈拉以南非洲现代人类行为的出现等问题。收购RISO仪器将大大提高此类研究的有效性。

With support from the National Science Foundation, the University of Washington luminescence dating laboratory headed by Dr. James Feathers will purchase a Riso automated TL/OLS reader with automated processor which permits single grain luminescence determinations. Because of its increased efficiency over the instrument the laboratory currently employs, the Riso machine will both increase throughput and decrease cost per sample.The Washington laboratory is the sole facility in the United States which routinely provides several types of luminescence analysis (TL, OSL, IRSL) for archaeological samples and the resultant dates have come to play an increasingly important function for archaeologists. Because organic materials are present in only a limited number of sites many such occurrences are not amenable to radiocarbon dating and often luminescence provides the only alternative. Using a range of approaches it often possible to obtain dates from either ceramics or soil and in the former case luminescence has an advantage over radiocarbon since it can directly date the object of interest rather than associated material. Dr. Feathers has shown that luminescence may be as accurate as radiocarbon. Traditional luminescence techniques analyze bulk samples comprised of many individual grains and the results can be problematic since particles of multiple ages and exposure histories may be present. Machines such as the Riso automated reader avoid this problem since they can date individual grains. A distribution of individual readings provides insight into the nature of the sample itself - both admixture and differential degree of bleaching - and therefore the multiple determinations allow accuracy to be better determined.Dr. Feathers' research is directed at both improvement of the technique itself and its application to anthropologically significant archaeological sites. He has addressed questions such as the development of complex societies in the southern United States, the time of human entry into the New World and the emergence of modern human behavior in sub Saharan Africa. Acquisition of the Riso instrument will significantly increase the effectiveness of such research.