Field measurements of environmental dose rate for trapped charge dating
Résumé
Field measurements at or close to the sampling position used for dating are the most direct ways of estimating environmental dose rates. They usually happen in undisturbed settings under natural conditions, avoiding extensive post-processing or modelling. Over the last decades, the trapped charge dating community has proposed and actively applied multiple methods for field measurements. The most common approaches use active detectors, such as NaI or LaBr3 crystals for gamma-ray spectrometry, or passive detectors based on artificially produced dosimeters (ex.: CaF2, Al2O3:C) to measure absorbed beta and/or gamma doses. Both active and passive methods have their advantages and disadvantages. Common to both techniques is that they are easy and costefficient to use once a laboratory has established a workflow. However, deciding on a specific system that best fits the typical requirements of a dating laboratory and establishing this system is often cost- and timeintensive. Here, we present and review commonly applied and established methods for estimating the environmental dose rate in the field. We focus on the required equipment, calibrations, and data processing tools to provide a primer. We conclude with a specific assessment of the cosmic dose rate, which is often strongly influenced by the topographical parameters of the research area.