INSTABILITY OF LUMINESCENCE RESPONSES IN FELDSPAR- AND QUARTZ-BASED PALAEODOSIMETERS
It is shown that repeated cycles of laboratory irradiation/heating being a component part of the majority of luminescent dating protocols cause a change in sensitivity of quartz and feldspars. As a rule, these changes relax within one month and sensitivity tends toward its initial value. The analysis of experimental data confirms that these phenomena are caused by thermo- and radiation-induced ionic processes, and cannot be connected to the tunneling. In addition, ionic processes cause an increase in sensitivity of quartz on heating it to temperatures approaching that of phase transition in quartz (573 °С). Dose sensitivity (stored or liberated light sum per unit dose absorbed) of quartz starts growing even when it is moderately heated (to about 300 °С), which is typical of the dating procedures.