Evaluating short-term post-irradiation instability of radiation-induced ESR signals in quartz

  1. Ben Arous, Eslem 1
  2. Alonso Escarza, María Jesús 1
  3. Guilarte, Verónica
  4. Tsukamoto, Sumiko
  5. Duval, Mathieu 1
  1. 1 Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH)
Journal:
Ancient TL

ISSN: 2693-0935

Year of publication: 2026

Volume: 43

Issue: 2

Pages: 8-15

Type: Article

DOI: 10.26034/LA.ATL.2025.8571 GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: Ancient TL

Abstract

<jats:p>This study investigates the potential short-term fading of radiation-induced Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) signals in quartz grains following gamma-irradiation, a critical issue for the optimization of Single Aliquot (SA) measurement protocols. Through a signal stability experiment carried out on two quartz samples, we evaluated the evolution of the Al and Ti ESR signal intensities over 2 to 8 months after gamma-irradiation. Our results indicate that the variation of the ESR intensities remains within typical experimental uncertainties, although data might also suggest a potential trend during the first day after irradiation. This trend is, however, non-systematic and could be sample- and signal-dependent, if not directly related to the stability of the experimental setup. Regardless, for precaution we may nevertheless recommend waiting for 1 day after gamma-irradiation before carrying out the ESR measurements. Importantly, this finding implies that ESR measurements of quartz samples can be performed relatively soon after gamma-irradiation, enabling the implementation of more time-efficient SAR protocols for ESR dating applications.</jats:p>