Which dosimeter emits light when the crystal is heated?

Which dosimeter emits light when the crystal is heated?

• A. Film badge
• B. OSL
• C. TLD
• D. Ion chamber

Answer: (C)

Thermoluminescent dosimeters work because the crystal lattice becomes trapped with charge carriers after radiation exposure. When you later heat the crystal, those trapped charges are released and recombine, producing light. The amount of light released is proportional to the absorbed dose, and a TLD reader measures this light to determine how much radiation was received. This heating-readout behavior is what sets TLDs apart. Other dosimeters don’t use heat to produce light. A film badge records dose by darkening of photographic emulsion, not by luminescence from heating. An optically stimulated luminescent dosimeter emits light when stimulated by light, not by heat. An ion chamber detects radiation by collecting ionization current, not by emitting light.

Thermoluminescent dosimeters work because the crystal lattice becomes trapped with charge carriers after radiation exposure. When you later heat the crystal, those trapped charges are released and recombine, producing light. The amount of light released is proportional to the absorbed dose, and a TLD reader measures this light to determine how much radiation was received. This heating-readout behavior is what sets TLDs apart.

Other dosimeters don’t use heat to produce light. A film badge records dose by darkening of photographic emulsion, not by luminescence from heating. An optically stimulated luminescent dosimeter emits light when stimulated by light, not by heat. An ion chamber detects radiation by collecting ionization current, not by emitting light.