Thermoluminescence Study of Natural CaCO₃ Mineral from Konya, Türkiye: Effect of Annealing on Signal Quality

In this study, thermoluminescence analyses were performed on natural CaCO₃ mineral sample obtained from Konya region after exposure to beta irradiation. Examining the thermoluminescence curve of the un-annealed sample, it was determined that there is a maximum at 100 °C and a tail extension around 250 °C. To detect the presence of deep traps, annealing was performed at temperatures between 400-800°C. It was decided that the optimum annealing temperature was 700°C, with a duration of 60 minutes. The characteristics of dose sensitivity, linearity, and reusability were analyzed to identify the effective thermoluminescence (TL) maximum on the high-temperature side of the spectrum. The whole TL glow curve was investigated through the Tm-Tstop experiment. Tm-Tstop experiment analysis determined that the luminescence curve of the natural CaCO3 mineral sample is complex.