Recent results on the thermoluminescence properties of diaspore

Abstract

The presence of hydrated diaspore (α‐AlOOH) on the Martian surface allows us to speculate that this material could act as: α‐Al 2 O 3 precursor and water source. In this study, new analytical data on the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of natural diaspore from Goian (Pontevedra, Spain) in the UV‐blue spectral region are reported. The results indicate that it could be also used as a dosimeter for dating purposes, since it possesses an acceptable sensitivity to radiation, reproducibility, linear dose response in the studied range (up to 100 Gy), and a high stability of the relative TL emission after six months of storage. Some physical trapping parameters for each irradiated curve (trap depth, pre‐exponential factor, intensity and peak position) are estimated assuming first order kinetics for the 180°C TL peak.