OPTICAL & SCINTILLATION PROPERTIES OF NONMETALS: INORGANIC SCINTILLATORS FOR RADIATION DETECTORS

Abstract

At present, scintillation detectors are widely used for the detection of nuclear radiation, especially in high-energy physics and nuclear medicine. A scintillation detector is a device that consists of a scintillator and a light detector, usually a photomultiplier tube (PMT). The role of the scintillator is to convert the energy that the ionizing radiation has lost into pulses of light. For effective absorption of penetration radiation such as γ – rays, a scintillator requires high density and a high-effective atomic number Z. For good energy resolution, a high light yield, i.e., a high number of photons emitted per unit of absorbed energy, is necessary. For good time resolution, a scintillator needs a short light pulse. The scintillator should also be transparent for emitted light so that the light could reach the light detector.