Scintillation properties of Yb3+-doped YAlO3 in the temperature range from 4.2 to 175 K

We measured the temperature dependence of the emission wavelength spectrum of YAP:Yb by irradiating with β - rays from a 90Sr/90Y source in the temperature range from 4.2 to 175 K. The light yield of YAP:Yb was characterized using an avalanche photodiode in the detection of 662-keV γ - rays from a 137Cs source in the temperature range from 50 to 175 K. The light yield was found to increase with decreasing temperature and reached 3840 photons/MeV at a temperature of 50 K. By extrapolating the temperature dependence of the light yield using that of the integrated emission spectra, the experimental light yield was evaluated to be 4300 photons/MeV at a temperature of 4.2 K.