Organic lyoluminescence dosimetry: its mechanism and its applications

The lyoluminescence (LL) spectra emitted when irradiated carbohydrates were dissolved in pure water can be interpreted as the superposition of emission from singlet oxygen 'collisional pairs'. The amino acid spectra in pure water are consistent with excited carbonyl emissions. The results therefore provide further evidence that the self-reaction of peroxy radicals is the underlying mechanism of organic LL in pure water. In the presence of sensitisers, the spectra became characteristic of the sensitiser. The factors affecting the accuracy and precision of glutamine lyoluminescence dosimetry (LLD) were investigated. The dependence of the LL yield on the mass of glutamine dissolved, dosemeter irradiation temperature, solvent temperature, and on the storage time both before and after heat treatment (HT) was investigated. The participation of glutamine LLD in two IAEA intercomparisons of various high-dose measuring techniques is described and its performance assessed. The application of mannose LLD to clinical dosimetry and glutamine LLD to industrial radiation processing is discussed. Finally, a preliminary investigation was performed into the LL properties of halogenated nucleosides. (author)