The theory of thermoluminescence with an arbitrary spatial distribution of traps

There are two basic analytical models for thermoluminescence (TL). The first relates to the uniform distribution of traps. The second relates to the pairs of traps and recombination centres placed close to each other. In both cases, it was possible to formulate a set of differential equations describing charge carriers' kinetics. Some recent results, both experimental and theoretical, show that this simple picture may not be applicable, especially in dosimetric applications of TL. There are strong indications that many measured TL glow curves come from clusters of spatially associated traps and recombination centres. The kinetics of TL and some relevant processes in spatially correlated systems was studied numerically using Monte Carlo simulations. In this paper, new equations are presented for TL in a system with an arbitrary spatial distribution of traps and recombination centres. An analytical formulation allows easier comparison of the theory with experimentally observed data.