Thermoluminescence, a Critical Reappraisal of Successes, Uncertainties, and a Look to the Future

Thermoluminescence has a long and successful history in applied radiation dosimetry, as well as in a wide range of other applications and basic research. However, there is a dichotomy that, despite the many commercial successes, there continue to be entrenched systematic errors in data collection, signal processing, and models. This overview offers suggestions to address these issues. Improving initial data collection is certainly feasible and may offer deeper insights into the potential mechanisms of thermoluminescence. There is an extremely complex challenge in suggesting and confirming models for lattice sites that generate luminescence signals. Currently, such models are highly speculative and simplistic. In reality, they should involve not only immediate lattice sites but also extremely long-range interactions. Weaknesses in data collection and models impact and generate errors in the extraction of activation energies and frequency factors that are routinely ascribed to data analysis. Overall, it is possible to suggest ways to improve data collection and slightly improve modelling of relevant lattice sites and parameters such as their activation energies, but in reality, these factors will always be speculative and imprecise. Fortunately, this does not inhibit the extension of the technique into other areas of application, but the suggested improvements will enable greater diversity.