Crystal Composition and Afterglow in Mixed Silicates: The Role of Melting Temperature

Abstract

Scintillator materials convert high-energy radiation into visible or near-ultraviolet photons, and are used in medical diagnostics, high-energy physics, and security applications. Often a scintillation response on the nanosecond time scale is required because afterglow interferes with readings of interest, and so fast scintillators are the key to progress. The authors elucidate the microscopic mechanism that allows elimination of afterglow in mixed-crystal scintillators based on Lu and Gd ions, showing a way forward in terms of both basic physics and a strategy for controlled materials preparation.