Pulse-shape analysis of Cs 2LiYCl 6:Ce scintillator for neutron and gamma-ray discrimination

Abstract

Cs 2LiYCl 6:Ce (CLYC) is one of the most promising new scintillators for detecting both neutrons and gamma-rays. Its neutron and gamma-ray discrimination capability using pulse-shape analysis has drawn much attention, and there is significant interest in its use in field applications. For such applications, compact and low-power readout electronics capable of exploiting the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) capabilities of CLYC will be essential. A readout system centered around a PSD-capable application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that is well-suited for use with CLYC has been characterized, tested, and validated. As part of this study, automated analysis of CLYC data collected with a fast waveform digitizer extracted optimized charge integration windows for PSD. Additionally, several different CLYC samples were studied in order to gain understanding of the dependance of pulse shapes on parameters such as crystal size, 6Li enrichment level, crystal packaging, and choice of PMT. Extremely good PSD performance was obtained from CLYC scintillator and the ASIC-based readout system. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.