Optical Annealing of CaF2:Mn for Cooled Optically Stimulated Luminescence

Optical annealing of the cooled optically stimulated luminescence in CaF2:Mn at room temperature has been demonstrated. The laser of choice for optical annealing of CaF2:Mn is a 326 nm helium-cadmium ultraviolet laser. A complete cycle of readout and annealing of the CaF2:Mn cooled optically stimulated dosemeters can now be accomplished without heating the dosemeters above room temperature. This annealing work represents the next step toward creating a proton-recoil-based fast neutron dosimetry system based on the cooled optically stimulated luminescence technique.