Physics of Fast Processes in Scintillators

Preface
Acknowledgments
Contents
About the Authors
Chapter 1: Release of Ionizing Radiation Energy in Inorganic Scintillator
	1.1 Introduction
	1.2 Energy Deposit and Released Energy Localization in Space and Time
		1.2.1 Low Energy Photons, γ-Quanta and Charged Particles
		1.2.2 High Energy γ-Quanta and Charged Particles
		1.2.3 Uncharged Particles
	1.3 Identification of Energy Deposit Events in Scintillators
		1.3.1 Low-Energy γ-Quanta
		1.3.2 Calorimetry in High Energy Physics
		1.3.3 High-Energy Neutrons
		1.3.4 Demand for Fast Timing Measurements
	References
Chapter 2: Timing Measurements with Scintillation Pulses
	2.1 Scintillation Pulse
		2.1.1 Scintillation Pulse in a Thin Inorganic Media
		2.1.2 Propagation of a Short Light Pulse in a Dispersing Medium
		2.1.3 Forming of the Scintillation Pulse by Light Collection in a Scintillator Element
	2.2 Precision of Timing Measurements and Time Resolution with Ideal Photo-Sensor and Electronics
		2.2.1 Statistics of Optical Pulse Time Stamp Registration
		2.2.2 Precision of the Measurement of Optical Pulse with a Gaussian Shape
		2.2.3 Precision of the Measurement of the Optical Pulse with an Exponential Shape
		2.2.4 Time Resolution and Types of Scintillators
	2.3 Concluding Remark
	References
Chapter 3: Development of Excited Region of the Track. Rise and Decay Kinetics of Scintillation
	3.1 Initial Stage of the Interaction of a High-Energy Particle with Matter
	3.2 Spectra of Excitations in Insulating Crystals
	3.3 Scattering of Electronic Excitations in Insulators
	3.4 Stages of Energy Transformation in Scintillators
		3.4.1 Stages of Energy Transformation in Self-Activated Crystals
		3.4.2 Relaxation in the Matrixes Created by Ce Ions
		3.4.3 Energy Relaxation in Cross-Luminescent Systems
	3.5 An Example of a Cascade of Electronic Excitations
	3.6 Free Carrier Thermalization and Track Formation
	3.7 Reactions Between Thermalized Electronic Excitations
	3.8 Distribution of Concentrations of Electrons and Holes
	3.9 Reactions at the Kinetic Stage of Scintillation Pulse Development
		3.9.1 General Considerations on the Kinetic Stage of Scintillation Signal Development
		3.9.2 Recombination and Capture of Nonequilibrium Carriers
		3.9.3 Dipole-Dipole Energy Transfer Between Excitations
	3.10 Rise and Decay Kinetics in Scintillators
		3.10.1 Decay Kinetics in Self-Activated Materials
		3.10.2 Rise and Decay Kinetics in Activated Materials
	3.11 Fast Nonlinear Luminescence in Crystals with Exciton-Like Luminescence
	3.12 Conclusions
	References
Chapter 4: Shallow Traps in Scintillation Materials
	4.1 Trapping of Nonequilibrium Carriers in Crystal Matrix
	4.2 Experimental Techniques to Reveal Shallow Traps
	4.3 Antisite Defects and Related Traps
	4.4 Shallow Traps in Mixed Crystals
	4.5 Thermalization Length of Nonequilibrium Carriers in Mixed Crystals
	4.6 Prospect for Composition Engineering in Scintillators Based on Mixed Crystals
	References
Chapter 5: Free Carrier Dynamics in Scintillation Materials
	5.1 Experimental Techniques
		5.1.1 Time-Resolved Luminescence Spectroscopy
		5.1.2 Optical Pump and Probe Technique
	5.2 Ce-Doped Oxyorthosilicates
	5.3 Ce-Doped Garnets
		5.3.1 Leading Edge of Luminescence Response in GAGG Scintillators
		5.3.2 Dynamics of Ce3+ Ion Population in GAGG:Ce
		5.3.3 Correlation Between the Front Edge in Activator Population and the Time Resolution of Scintillators
		5.3.4 Bi-Cation Garnets Doped with Ce
	5.4 Ce-Doped Perovskites
	5.5 Doped Halides
		5.5.1 Doped Iodides NaI, CsI, SrI2
		5.5.2 Cerium and Lanthanum Bromides: CeBr3, LaBr3:Ce, La1-xCexBr3
	5.6 Heavy Self-Activated Scintillators
		5.6.1 Lead Tungstate (PWO) Scintillator
		5.6.2 Kinetics of PWO Luminescence
		5.6.3 Differential Absorption in PWO
		5.6.4 Differential Absorption in Bismuth Germanate (BGO)
		5.6.5 Cerium Fluoride Scintillator
	5.7 Peculiarities of Excitation Transfer in Ce-Doped Scintillators
	References
Chapter 6: Transient Phenomena in Scintillators
	6.1 Radiation Processes During Thermalization
	6.2 Intraband Luminescence
	6.3 Cross-Luminescence
	6.4 Cherenkov Radiation
	6.5 Elastic Polarization Due to Ionization in Scintillation Crystal
	6.6 Conclusions
	References
Chapter 7: Wide-Band-Gap Semiconductor Scintillators
	7.1 Exploitation of Semiconductors in Radiation Detection
		7.1.1 Conductive Semiconductor Detectors
		7.1.2 Bulk Semiconductor Scintillators
		7.1.3 Nanostructured Semiconductor Scintillators
	7.2 Detection of Ionizing Radiation with Diamond
		7.2.1 Exploitation of Semiconductor Properties
		7.2.2 Diamond-Based Scintillators
	7.3 Nonlinear Optical Absorption and Non-equilibrium Carrier Dynamics in Diamonds Produced Using Different Technologies
	References
Chapter 8: Coincidence Time Resolution Measurements with Scintillators
	8.1 Coincidence Time Resolution Technique
		8.1.1 Coincidence Time Resolution in a Thin Scintillator
		8.1.2 Accounting for the Energy Deposit Fluctuation Along the Scintillator
	8.2 Coincidence Time Resolution Measurements
	8.3 The Influence of Non-ideality of the Detecting Chain
	8.4 The Influence of Fluctuations in Energy Deposition Time and Light Propagation Time
	8.5 The Time Precision Limit Set by Scintillation
	References
Glossary
Index