Introducing an R package for luminescence dating analysis

For routine luminescence dating applications the 
\ncommonly used Risø readers are bundled with 
\nanalysis software, such as Viewer or Analyst. These 
\nsoftware solutions are appropriate for most of the 
\nregular dating and publication jobs, and enable 
\nassessment of luminescence characteristics and 
\nprovide basic statistical data treatment. However, for 
\nfurther statistical analysis and data treatments, this 
\nsoftware may reach its limits. In such cases, open 
\nprogramming languages are a more appropriate 
\napproach. Here, we present the R package 
\n‘Luminescence’ for a more flexible handling of 
\nluminescence data and related plotting purposes,
\nusing the statistical programming language R. The R
\nlanguage as well as the package and the source code 
\nare provided under the General Public License (GPL) 
\nconditions and are available for free. The basic 
\nfunctionality of the package is described along with 
\nthree application examples. This package is not an 
\nalternative to the existing software (Analyst, Viewer)
\nbut may provide a collection of additional tools to 
\nanalyse luminescence data and serve as a platform for 
\nfurther contributions.