Polarization orientation dependence of the far infrared spectra of oriented single crystals of 1,3,5-trinitro-S-triazine (RDX) using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.

The far infrared spectra of (100), (010), and (001)-oriented RDX single crystals were measured as the crystal was rotated about the axis perpendicular to the polarization plane of the incident radiation. Absorption measurements were taken at temperatures of both 20 K and 295 K for all rotations using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. A number of discrete absorptions were found ranging from 10-100 cm(-1) (0.3-3 THz). The absorptions are highly dependent on the orientation of the terahertz polarization with respect to crystallographic axes.

Effect of high-dose irradiation on the optically stimulated luminescence of Al2O3:C.

This paper examines the effect of high-dose irradiation on the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of Al2O3:C, principally on the shape of the OSL decay curve and on the OSL sensitivity. The effect of the degree of deep trap filling on the OSL was also studied by monitoring the sensitivity changes after doses of beta irradiation and after step-annealing of samples previously irradiated with high doses. The OSL response to dose shows a linear-supralinear-saturation behavior, with a decrease in the response for doses higher than those required for saturation. This behavior correlates with the sensitivity changes observed in the samples annealed only to 773 K, which show sensitization for doses up to 20-50 Gy and desensitization for higher doses. Data from the step-annealing study leads to the suggestion that the sensitization is caused by the filling of deep electron traps, which become thermally unstable at 1100-1200 K, whereas the desensitization is caused by the filling of deep hole traps, which become thermally unstable at 800-875 K, along with a concomitant decrease in the concentration of recombination centers (F+ -centers). Changes in the shape of the OSL decay curves are also observed at high doses, the decay becoming faster as the dose increases. These changes in the OSL decay curves are discussed in terms of multiple overlapping components, each characterized by different photoionization cross-sections. However, using numerical solutions of the rate equations for a simple model consisting of a main trap and a recombination center, it is shown that the kinetics of OSL process may also be partially responsible for the changes in the OSL curves at high doses in Al2O3:C. Finally, the implication of these results for the dosimetry of heavy charged particles is discussed.

Linear modulation optically stimulated luminescence and thermoluminescence techniques in Al2O3:C.

An analysis of the linear modulation-OSL (LM-OSL) peak and the main TL peak from irradiated Al2O3:C is presented. Data are presented indicating that the LM-OSL peak is composed of three overlapping components originating from populated traps with optical cross sections of 10(-18) - 10(-20) cm2. Studies of the main TL peak before and after LM-OSL measurement indicate that the first two LM-OSL components, corresponding to traps with the largest optical cross sections, originate from traps which also contribute to the low temperature side of the TL peak and that the third component, corresponding to the traps with smallest optical cross section, are due to traps that contribute to the high temperature side of the TL peak. Some consequences for dosimetry are discussed.

Determination of ionisation energies and attempt-to-escape factors using thermally stimulated conductivity.

A procedure for determining an arbitrary distribution of activation energies (E) and attempt-to-escape frequencies (s) from overlapping contributions to thermoluminescence (TL) or thermally stimulated conductivity (TSC) is described. For the case of no retrapping, i.e. first order kinetics, the glow curve can be described by a two-dimensional Fredholm equation representing a superposition of Randall-Wilkins first-order peak shapes. The solution to this equation gives the distribution of trapping energies and attempt-to-escape-frequency factors necessary to obtain the TL or TSC peak shape. Analysis of simulated TL/TSC data for trap distributions distributed in both E and s demonstrates that the arbitrary E and s values can be determined from the solution of the Fredholm equation. The procedure is demonstrated for experimental TSC data from gamma-irradiated Al2O3:C.