The development of new scintillators as components of modern detector systems is increasingly defined by the end user's needs. This book provides an introduction to this emerging topic at the interface of physics and materials sciences, with emphasis on bulk inorganic scintillators. After surveying the end user's needs in a vast range of applications, ranging from astrophysics to industrial R & D, the authors move on to review scintillating mechanisms and the properties of the most important materials used. A chapter on crystal engineering and examples of recent developments in the field of high-energy physics and medical imaging introduce the reader to the practical aspects. This book will benefit researchers and scientists working in academic and industrial R & D related to the development of scintillators.
Zusammenfassung
Thelasttwodecadeshaveseenaspectacularincreaseofinterestforinorganic scintillators. Thishasbeentoalargepartaconsequenceofthevisibilitygiven to this ?eld by several large crystal-based detectors in particle physics. To answer the very challenging requirements for these experiments (huge data rates, linearity of response over a large dynamic range, harsh radiation en- ronment, impressive crystal quantities to be produced in a short time period andatana?ordablecost,etc. . . )ane?ortofcoordination was needed. S- eral groups of experts working in di?erent aspects of material science have combinedtheire?ortsininternationalandmultidisciplinarycollaborationsto better understand the fundamental mechanisms underlying the scintillation processanditse?ciency. Similarly,thestabilityofthescintillationproperties andtheroleofcolorcentershasbeenextensivelystudiedtodevelop radiation hard scintillators. Dedicated conferences on inorganic scintillators have seen an increasing participation from di?erent communities of users outside the domain of high-energy physics. This includes nuclear physics, astrophysics, security systems, industrial applications, and medical imaging. This last - main in particular is growing very fast since a few years at the point that the volume of scintillating crystals to be produced for positron emission tom- raphy (PET) is going to exceed the one for high-energy physics. As more and more crystal producers are also attending these conferences, a very fruitful synergy was progressively built up among scienti?c experts, technologists, and end users. This aspect of a multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to helppeopledesignandbuilddetectorsofever-increasingperformancethrough the choice, optimization or development of the best scintillator, and a th- ough investigation of the technologies to produce the crystals of the highest quality.
Inhalt
Scintillation and Inorganic Scintillators.- How User's Requirements Influence the Development of a Scintillator.- Scintillation Mechanisms in Inorganic Scintillators.- Influence of the Crystal Structure Defects on Scintillation Properties.- Crystal Engineering.- Two Examples of Recent Crystal Development.