Thermoluminescence Studies of β and γ-Irradiated Geological Materials for Environment Monitoring

In the present report, thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) of quartz and limestone samples irradiated with β and γ-rays has been investigated. Herein the formation of trap depths and calculation of kinetic parameters of β and γ - irradiated quartz and limestone samples were studied through thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve analyses. The quartz and limestone samples were collected from various sites of Chhattisgarh (Patharia and Dalli-Rajhara mines). The collected raw samples were annealed at 400 °C. The phase formation of collected samples is confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. The grain sizes of the samples are determined by using Debye-Scherrer formula. TL glow curves of the collected samples were recorded for various doses of β and γ-rays. Kinetic parameters such as order of kinetics frequency factor and trap depth were calculated by employing CGCD methods. A comparative study on the TL properties of the geological materials under β and γ-irradiation was done. The trap model analysis was executed to determine the nature of traps responsible for dominant TL peaks of β and γ-irradiated limestone and quartz samples.