Title :
LaBr3:Ce scintillators for gamma ray spectroscopy
Author :
Shah, K.S. ; Glodo, J. ; Klugerman, M. ; Moses, W.W. ; Derenzo, S.E. ; Weber, M.J.
Author_Institution :
Radiat. Monitoring Devices Inc., Watertown, MA, USA
Abstract :
In this paper, we report on a relatively new scintillator - LaBr3 for gamma ray spectroscopy. Crystals of this scintillator have been grown using Bridgman process. This material when doped with cerium has high light output (∼60,000 photons/MeV) and fast principal decay constant (≤25 ns). Furthermore, it shows excellent energy resolution for γ-ray detection. Energy resolution of 3.2% (FWHM) has been achieved for 662 keV photons (137Cs source) at room temperature. High timing resolution (260 ps FWHM) has been recorded with LaBr3-PMT and BaF2-PMT detectors operating in coincidence mode using 511 keV positron annihilation γ-ray pairs. Details of its scintillation properties, and variation of these properties with changing cerium concentration are reported. Potential applications of this material are also addressed.
Keywords :
cerium; gamma-ray detection; lanthanum compounds; photomultipliers; positron annihilation; semiconductor counters; 25 ns; 260 ps; 511 keV; 662 keV; 137Cs; BaF2; Bridgman process; LaBr3:Ce; PMT; excellent energy resolution; gamma ray spectroscopy; high timing resolution; positron annihilation; principal decay constant; scintillators; Cerium; Crystalline materials; Energy resolution; Gamma ray detection; Gamma ray detectors; Photonic crystals; Solid scintillation detectors; Spectroscopy; Temperature; Timing;
Conference_Titel :
Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record, 2002 IEEE
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7636-6
DOI :
10.1109/NSSMIC.2002.1239275
