Aberystwyth Luminescence Research Laboratory

Luminescence dating has become a widely recognised and important tool in deciphering Quaternary issues. It is applicable to sedimentary deposits ranging from a few hundreds of years old to several hundred thousand years old. The Aberystwyth Luminescence Research Laboratory is the only NERC recognised luminescence laboratory in the United Kingdom. The laboratory was created in 1989 by Professor Ann Wintle, and has been run by Prof Geoff Duller since 2000. Members of the laboratory have pioneered many major advances in the field in the last two decades, and they continue to undertake a mixture of:-

(1) fundamental research to understand the physics of the luminescence process in minerals,

(2) the design of equipment and procedures to measure these signals and

(3) the application of the technique to Quaternary issues

• Major Research Achievements
• Recent Research Projects
• Visitors to ALRL
• Conferences Relevant for Luminescence Dating
• Publications from Aberystwyth Luminescence Laboratory
• UK Luminescence and ESR meeting 2012

An easily accessible summary of how luminescence dating works, and some examples of how the method can be applied was written by Prof Geoff Duller for English Heritage (Luminescence Dating - Guidelines on using luminescence dating in archaeology (PDF)) and is freely available for downloading. The Aberystwyth Luminescence Research Laboratory has also been responsible for publishing Ancient TL for the last six years.

 

People in ALRL Prof Geoff Duller Dr Helen Roberts Prof Ann Wintle

PhD students Julie Durcan Melissa Jackson Richard Lyons Rachel Smedley Rosie Stirling

Research Assistants and Technical Staff Lorraine Morrison Hollie Wynne