Linearity for Ca2+-Doped CeBr3 Scintillating Materials
Conference
·
· Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A
OSTI ID:1246260
- National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), Remote Sensing Lab. (RSL), Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc.
- Remote Sensing Lab. (RSL), Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
- National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), Mercury, NV (United States)
The National Security Technologies, LLC, Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL) developed an aliovalently calcium-doped cerium tribromide (CeBr3:Ca2+) crystal with a FWHM resolution of 3.2% at the 137Cs 662 keV gamma energy. RSL completed a crystal assessment and Sandia National Laboratories calculated the predictive performance and physical characteristics using proven density functional theory (DFT) formalism. Results are reported for the work done to map the detector performance, characteristics, calcium doping concentration, and crystal strength. Preliminary scintillation measurements for this aliovalently calcium-doped CeBr3 scintillator exhibit a slight blue shift in fluorescence emission at 371 nm excitation for CeBr3. The structural, electronic, and optical properties of CeBr3 crystals were investigated using the DFT within generalized gradient approximation. The calculated lattice parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data. The energy band structures and density of states were obtained. The optical properties of CeBr3, including the dielectric function of photons per unit energy, were calculated. Specifically, we report excellent linearity with the aliovalent CeBr3:Ca2+ crystal. Proportionality of light yield is one area of performance in which Ce-doped and Ce-based lanthanide halides excel. Maintaining proportionality is the key to producing a strong, high-performance scintillator. Relative light yield proportionality was measured for both doped and undoped samples of CeBr3 to ensure no loss in performance was incurred by doping. The light output and proportionality, however, appear to be similar to CeBr3. There was a reduced yield at low energy. Relative light yield proportionality measurements suggest that dopants do not significantly affect proportionality at higher energies. RSL completed additional testing and evaluation of the new crystal as well as the assessment of benchmarking spectroscopy. Results, which present energy resolution as a function of energy, are summarized. Typical spectroscopy results using a 137Cs radiation source are shown for our crystallites with diameters <1 cm. We obtain 3.2% before packing the crystallite in a sealed detector container and 4.5% for the packaged crystallite. More spectra were obtained for 241Am, 60Co, 228Th, and background to exemplify CeBr3:Ca2+ over a broader energy range.
- Research Organization:
- Nevada Test Site/National Security Technologies, LLC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI ID:
- 1246260
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/NV/25946--2136
- Conference Information:
- Journal Name: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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