A model for the explanation of non-linear effects in thermoluminescence yields

Abstract Supralinearity and sensitization phenomena observed in TL are explained with a simple model. The model is based on the following assumptions: at low doses, the light-giving recombination shows a linear behaviour because it takes place preferentially between charged sites correlated in space and resulting from the same ion pair, whereas at higher doses, sites are closer and recombination occurs probably between centres originating from various ionization events. This leads to a non-linear behaviour. Comparison is made with experimental data.