thermoluminescence
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌθɜrməʊˌluːmɪˈnɛsəns/
- Specialized
- You can use thermoluminescence dating, which determines the amount of time elapsed since a clay object was fired, to definitively establish the antiquity of a pottery vessel, if it is old enough.
- thermoluminescence dating
- thermoluminescence tests
Examples
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He soon began working in the lab, where Aitken was adapting a geological technique to archaeology called thermoluminescence (TL), which can date ceramic objects.
Academic text (2004) -
Perhaps one of the best-known techniques is thermoluminescence (TL), which is used on ceramic works.
Academic text (2003) -
Their thermoluminescence indicates they're older than that.
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The few terracotta objects that are authentic probably would not have been thermoluminescence tested.
Academic text (1995) -
Thermoluminescence tests of some bronzes and other evidence on the known Benin corpus make dating pieces more complicated than accepted stylistic analysis suggests (Craddock & Picton 1986).
Academic text (1993) -
The study of thermoluminescence has revolutionized the dating of ancient pottery by measuring the light emitted when it is heated.
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Researchers utilize thermoluminescence to accurately date archaeological finds, such as ceramics, by analyzing the light produced during heating.
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One prominent application of thermoluminescence is determining the age of burnt flint by measuring the light released when it is heated.
Surface Forms
Morphology
thermoluminescence = luminescence (semi-transparent) = thermo + lumin + escence
The meaning is compositional from thermo- 'heat' plus luminescence, but the base term is technical and not likely to be fully known by an average learner.
Etymology
Thermoluminescence comes from the parts thermo- 'heat' and lumen 'light', the same root you see in luminous and illuminate. So, it literally means 'light from heat' and describes the light a material gives when heated, which scientists use to date old pottery and minerals.