In this paper we have tested the potential application of X-rays as an irradiation source in Electron Spin Resonance dating of tooth enamel. A range of modern and fossil samples were used to assess the feasibility of dose estimations using this alternative irradiator. The use of a known laboratory additive dose allows the calculation of an absorption equivalent coefficient between gamma-rays and X-rays. The results show that equivalent doses obtained with gamma-rays on fossil powder enamel was frequently less than the doses obtained on fragments using only X-rays. This agrees with other studies that gamma irradiation can lead to age underestimation problems, and also indicates that X-ray sources could be more suitable for ESR dating. Here, we show that testing penetration attenuation for each individual irradiation source is required to accurately estimate the maximum enamel thickness and produce reliable protocols. We conclude that X-rays are an alternative irradiation source for ESR dating protocols, however, limitations remain in particular with alpha efficiency.

在本文中，我们测试了 X 射线作为辐照源在牙釉质电子自旋共振测年中的潜在应用。使用一系列现代和化石样本来评估使用这种替代辐照器进行剂量估计的可行性。使用已知的实验室附加剂量可以计算伽马射线和 X 射线之间的吸收等效系数。结果表明，用伽马射线在化石粉末珐琅质上获得的等效剂量通常小于仅使用 X 射线在碎片上获得的剂量。这与其他研究一致，即伽马辐射会导致年龄低估问题，也表明 X 射线源可能更适合 ESR 测年。这里，我们表明，需要对每个单独的辐照源进行穿透衰减测试，以准确估计最大牙釉质厚度并产生可靠的协议。我们得出结论，X 射线是 ESR 测年协议的替代辐照源，然而，限制仍然存在，特别是 alpha 效率。