The phenomenon of scintillation in solids

The scintillation materials are widely used in science and industry, however, till now there is no complete definition of the phenomenon as a whole. The conversion of energy loss of particles and γ-quanta into light by luminescent medium is the general definition of scintillation. In our report we analyze possibilities when scintillation arise not only when charged particles and high-energy quanta pass through the scintillating material, but also when particles move near its surface. Several definitions of the scintillation phenomenon are debated.