Using DRAC for dose rate estimation of burnt flint and ceramic

Abstract

Accurate calculation of the environmental radiation dose rate (D ̇) is an essential part of luminescence dating. The Dose Rate and Age Calculator (DRAC) is an open access, web-based program which enables rapid D ̇ calculation (Durcan et al. 2015). Designed primarily for sedimentary applications, DRAC cannot be used directly to calculate D ̇ when complex geometries are encountered. In contrast, Dosivox is a software developed to provide a reliable and flexible tool for simulating the interactions of ionizing particles within complex geometries (Martin et al. 2012). Although Dosivox is perfectly adapted for burnt flint dating, it is quite time consuming and requires information that is not always available.

Using R, we design a series of tools based on the DRAC function of the R package Luminescence (Kreutzer et al. 2012) and enabling its use to be extended to specific geometries. DRAC distinguishes between the internal and external D ̇. Here, we split the dose rate based on its origin, and call DRAC numerous times whilst varying the input parameters, before combining the results and calculating D ̇. We consider that the γ dose is only due to the surrounding sediment, the external α and β are coming from the burnt flint or the ceramic, and the internal α and β are coming from the flint or the grain itself. For burnt flint, DRAC is called twice, firstly with the flint as the source of internal and external D ̇_(α,β), and secondly with the surrounding sediment as the source of external D ̇_γ. For ceramics, DRAC is also called twice, firstly with the quartz or feldspar grain as the source of internal D ̇_(α,β) and the ceramic as the source of external D ̇_(α,β), and secondly with the surrounding sediment as the source of external D ̇_γ. Finally, the cosmic dose rate (D ̇_c) is estimated using another function from the Luminescence package. This approach allows for calculating D ̇ in a fast, reproducible and reliable way which can be extended to other specific geometries. It requires the same input parameters as DRAC, which makes its application quite easy.


Durcan JA, King GE, Duller GAT (2015), Quaternary Geochronology 28: 54-61.
Kreutzer S, Schmidt C, Fuchs MC, Dietze M, Fischer M, Fuchs M (2012), Ancient TL 30 (1): 1-8.
Martin L, Incerti S, Mercier N (2015), Ancient TL 33 (1): 1-10.

Resources

Bibliography

Strebler, D., Burow, C., King, G., Brill, D., Brückner, H. (2016): Using DRAC for dose rate estimation of burnt flint and ceramic. Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, UK Luminescence and ESR meeting 2016, Liverpool, Liverpool, UK