The measurement of single grain IRSL EDs using an imaging photon detector

An imaging photon detector (IPD) has been used to image the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) from individual feldspar grains using an array of 24 infrared diodes. The use of an IPD allows individual grains to be resolved from within an image of a large mass of grains and this minimises the amount of light exposure grains must receive, as picking of individual grains is unnecessary. The IRSL was sufficiently bright to allow the single aliquot additive equivalent dose (ED) method to be used on single feldspar grains, and individual EDs were found for grains from several feldspathic sediments. The weighted EDs from these grains agreed with the ED which had been obtained through multiple aliquot additive measurements of the bulk samples. Single grain IRSL EDs measured with the IPD provide a good method for detection of, and correction for, insufficiently bleached grains. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.