Dirk Mittelstraß

Hi! I’m a scientist and data analysis enthusiast with a background in applied physics, luminescence dosimetry and spectrometry. I love to investigate, discuss and improve measurement techniques, and I’m always happy to spend my days buried deep in C# and R code. Between 2009 and 2014, I was one of the engineers behind the Freiberg Instruments lexsyg research luminescence dating devices system. From 2021 to 2025, I was part of the software team at Sentronic, working on the front-end software for Sentronic’s pharmaceutical NIR spectrometers.

Since August 2025, I have been researching a new luminescence imaging technique as part of the DFG project ARENICOLA. Our goal is to develop an efficient measurement and analysis workflow for identifying the mineralogy and defect inventory of sand grains using luminescence imaging. If the project finishes as planned, this new technology could simplify the preparation of luminescence dating samples or be used as a tool for the provenance analysis of river sediments. I am part of the department for Geophysical Parameterisation at the LIAG Institute for Geophysics in Hanover. I am also a visiting researcher at our project partner: the Helmholtz Institute for Resource Technology in Freiberg and the Institute of Geography at the University of Heidelberg.

Luminescence dating and spectroscopy as a service

I offer detailed data analysis of your OSL, TL or IR-RF measurements using R, which you can hire me to perform on a fee basis. I can calculate equivalent dose statistics and paleodoses, and evaluate test steps and rejection criteria. You will receive a detailed PDF report and the source code for the data analysis. Contact me if you are interested.

My publications

Papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals:

M. Sontag-González, D. Mittelstraß, S. Kreutzer and M. Fuchs, ‘Wavelength calibration and spectral sensitivity correction of luminescence measurements for dosimetry applications: Method comparison tested on the IR-RF of K-feldspar’, Radiation Measurements, 2022
doi: 10.1016/j.radmeas.2022.106876.

D. Mittelstraß and S. Kreutzer, ‘Spatially Resolved Infrared Radiofluorescence: Single-grain K-feldspar Dating using CCD Imaging’, Geochronology, 2021
doi: 10.5194/gchron-3-299-2021.

D. Richter, D. Mittelstraß, S. Kreutzer, R. Pintaske, K. Dornich, and M. Fuchs, ‘A new fully integrated X-ray irradiator system for dosimetric research’, Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 2016
doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2016.03.022.

J. Lomax, D. Mittelstraß, S. Kreutzer, and M. Fuchs, ‘OSL, TL and IRSL emission spectra of sedimentary quartz and feldspar samples’, Radiation Measurements, 2015
doi: 10.1016/j.radmeas.2015.02.018.

N. Gribenski, F. Preusser, S. Greilich, S. Huot, and D. Mittelstraß, ‘Investigation of cross talk in single grain luminescence measurements using an EMCCD camera’, Radiation Measurements, 2015
doi: 10.1016/j.radmeas.2015.01.017.

S. Greilich, N. Gribenski, D. Mittelstraß, K. Dornich, S. Huot, and F. Preusser, ‘Single-grain dose-distribution measurements by optically stimulated luminescence using an integrated EMCCD-based system’, Quaternary Geochronology, 2015
doi: 10.1016/j.quageo.2015.06.009.

N. Schüler, D. Mittelstraß, K. Dornich, J. R. Niklas, and H. Neuhaus, ‘Next generation inline minority carrier lifetime metrology on multicrystalline silicon bricks for PV’, in 35th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2010
doi: 10.1109/PVSC.2010.5617170.

K. Dornich, N. Schüler, D. Mittelstraß, A. Krause, B. Gründig-Wendrock, K. Niemietz, and J.R. Niklas, ‘New Spatial resolved inline metrology on multicrystalline silicon for PV’, in 24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, 2009
doi: 10.4229/24thEUPVSEC2009-2CO.4.5.

Talks and posters at scientific conferences and workshops:

D. Mittelstraß, M. C. Fuchs, C. Schmidt, and S. Kreutzer, ‘The ARENICOLA project: Radiofluorescence images digested by digital sandworms’, poster presented at the Central European Conference on Luminescence and Trapped-Charge dating: DLED 2025, Heidelberg, Germany, 15-Nov-2025.
luminescence.de/arenicola/PosterDLED2025_project_arenicola.pdf

D. Mittelstraß, S. Schlegel, and B. Senkel, ’SentroSuite 3.5.0.0 - Software concept and update news‘, talk at the Sentronic Process Analytical Technology Meeting 2024, Dresden, Germany, 02-Dec-2024.

D. Mittelstraß, ‘Signal component analysis of IR-RF decay curves of K-feldspars - Part 2’, poster presented at the Central European Conference on Luminescence and Trapped-Charge dating: DLED 2024, Jelenia Góra, Poland, 24-Oct-2024.
luminescence.de/RF/PosterDLED2024_RF_components_part2.pdf

D. Mittelstraß, M. Sontag-González, C. Schmidt, T. Lauer, M. C. Fuchs, und M. Fuchs, ‘Signal component analysis of IR-RF decay curves of K-feldspars’, poster presented at the 17th International Luminescence and Electron Spin Resonance Dating conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, 27-Jun-2023.
luminescence.de/RF/PosterLED2023_RF_components.pdf

D. Mittelstraß, C. Schmidt, and S. Kreutzer, ‘R package ‘OSLdecomposition’ - Easy-to-use and reliable CW-OSL component separation’, poster presented at the Central European Conference on Luminescence and Trapped-Charge dating: DLED 2020, Leipzig, Germany, 17-Nov-2020.
luminescence.de/OSLdecomposition/PosterDLED2020.pdf

D. Mittelstraß, C. Schmidt, J. Beyer, and A. Straessner, ‘Automated identification and separation of quartz CW-OSL signal components with R’, talk at the Central European Conference on Luminescence and Trapped-Charge dating: DLED 2019, Bingen, Germany, 10-Nov-2019.
luminescence.de/OSLdecomp_talk.pdf

S. Kreutzer, D. Mittelstraß, and N. Mercier, ‘Spatially Resolved Infrared Radiofluorescence (IR-RF): Deciphering Middle Pleistocene Sediment Transport Processes on a Single Grain Level?’, poster presented at the EGU General Assembly 2019, Vienna, Austria, Apr-2019.

D. Mittelstraß and S. Kreutzer, ‘Spatially resolved IR-RF using a CCD camera’, talk at the Central European Conference on Luminescence and Trapped Charge dating: DLED 2018, Beatenberg, Switzerland, 23-Nov-2018.
luminescence.de/RFspatial_talk.pdf

D. Mittelstraß, ‘Practical guide to IR-RF spectrometry’, talk at the 3rd IR-RF Workshop, Leipzig, Germany, 27-Feb-2018.
luminescence.de/RFspectral_talk.pdf

D. Mittelstraß, N. Gribenski, S. Greilich, S. Grehl, S. Huot, F. Preusser, D. Richter, K. Dornich, ‘Spatially resolved coarse grain measurements - problems and potentials’, poster presented at the German meeting on Luminescence and ESR dating: DLED 2014, Gießen, Germany, Nov-2014.
luminescence.de/EMCCD_poster.pdf

N. Gribenski, S. Greilich, D. Mittelstraß, S. Huot, K. Dornich, and F. Preusser, ‘Using EMCCD cameras for single grain luminescence dating’, presented at the 14th International Conference on Luminescence and Electron Spin Resonance Dating, Montreal, Canada, 2014.

K. Dornich, D. Mittelstraß, S. Grehl, D. Richter, A. Richter, and S. Greilich, ‘New developments in dosimetric equipment from Freiberg Instruments’, presented at the 14th International Conference on Luminescence and Electron Spin Resonance Dating, Montreal, Canada, 2014.

N. Gribenski, F. Preusser, K. Dornich, S. Greilich, S. Huot, and D. Mittelstraß, ‘New developments towards spatially-resolved luminescence detection’, presented at the UK Luminescence and ESR Dating Meeting, St Andrews, UK, 2013.

D. Mittelstraß, S. Kreutzer, and D. Richter, ‘An analytical method to separate signal components of CW-OSL measurements of quartz’, talk at the German meeting on Luminescence and ESR dating: DLED 2013, Freiberg, Germany, 26-Oct- 2013.

K. Dornich, M. R. Krbetschek, A. Hilgers, and D. Mittelstraß, ‘LEXSYG – a new luminescence measurement system for research and dating’, presented at the 13th International Conference on Luminescence and Electron Spin Resonance Dating, Torun, Poland, 2011.

M. R. Krbetschek, K. Dornich, A. Hilgers, and D. Mittelstraß, ‘LEXSYG – a new luminescence measurement system for research and dating’, presented at the Deutschsprachiges Lumineszenz- und ESR-Datierungs-Kolloquium: DLED 2010, Innsbruck, Austria, 2010.