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Prospects for High Energy Resolution Gamma Ray Spectroscopy with Europium-Doped Strontium Iodide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Nerine Cherepy
Affiliation:
cherepy1@llnl.gov, LLNL, Livermore, California, United States
S A. Payne
Affiliation:
payne3@llnl.gov, LLNL, Livermore, California, United States
Rastgo Hawrami
Affiliation:
drh1980@gmail.com, Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
A Burger
Affiliation:
aburger@fisk.edu, United States
Lynn Boatner
Affiliation:
boatnerla@ornl.gov, ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States
Edgar Van Loef
Affiliation:
vanLoef@gmail.com, RMD, Watertown, Massachusetts, United States
Kanai Shah
Affiliation:
kanaishah@yahoo.com, RMD, Watertown, Massachusetts, United States
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Abstract

Europium-doped strontium iodide scintillators offer a light yield exceeding 100,000 photons/MeV and excellent light yield proportionality, while at the same time, SrI2 is readily grown in single crystal form. Thus far, our collaboration has demonstrated an energy resolution with strontium iodide of 2.6% at 662 keV and 7.6% at 60 keV, and we have grown single crystals surpassing 30 cm3 in size (with lower resolution). Our analysis indicates that SrI2(Eu) has the potential to offer 2% energy resolution at 662 keV with optimized material, optics, and read-out. In particular, improvements in feedstock purity may result in crystal structural and chemical homogeneity, leading to improved light yield uniformity throughout the crystal volume, and consequently, better energy resolution. Uniform, efficient light collection and detection, is also required to achieve the best energy resolution with a SrI2(Eu) scintillator device.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

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