From nGy to MGy - New dosimetry with LiF:Mg,Cu,P thermoluminescence detectors

One of the well known advantages of thermoluminescence (TL) detectors made of lithium fluoride doped with magnesium, copper and phosphorus (LiF:Mg,Cu,P) is their very high sensitivity to ionizing radiation. LiF:Mg,Cu,P detectors enable measurements of radiation doses from tens of nanograys up to a few kilograys, when the total saturation of the signal of the so-called main dosimetric peak occurs. Only recently, unprecedented high-temperature emission of LiF detectors heated to temperatures up to 600°C, was observed after exposures to radiation doses ranging from 1 kGy to 1 MGy. For quantification of the glow-curve shape changes of LiF:Mg,Cu,P detectors in this range of doses and determination of the absorbed dose, the Ultra-High Temperature Ratio coefficient (UHTR) was defined. This newly established dosimetric method was tested in a range of radiation qualities, such as gamma radiation, electron and proton beams, thermal neutron fields and high-energy mixed fields around the SPS and PS accelerators at CERN. The new method for ultra-high dose range monitoring with a single LiF:Mg,Cu,P detector, which is capable of covering at least twelve orders of magnitude of doses, can be used for dosimetry at high energy accelerators, thermonuclear fusion technology facilities and has great potential for accident dosimetry in particular. A number of dosimetric sets with LiF:Mg,Cu,P detectors are currently installed around the LHC at CERN.