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Because of its fast scintillation component with subnanosecond decay time, BaF2 crystals are considered as a candidate for ultrafast crystal calorimeters for future high energy physics experiments at the energy and intensity frontiers. Undoped BaF2, however, has a slow scintillation component with 600 ns decay time, which causes pile-up. In the part I of this paper, we report investigations on La doping in BaF2 crystals to suppress the slow component. While typical fast/slow (F/S) ratio observed in undoped BaF2 is 1/5, La-doped BaF2 crystals were found to improve this ratio to about 1/1. The overall F/S ratio, however, is considered not sufficient for pile-up suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future high-energy physics experiments at the energy and intensity frontiers will face a challenge of severe radiation environment from both ionization dose and charged and neutral hadrons. The high-luminosity large hadron collider, for example, will present an environment, where up to 130 Mrad ionization dose, 3 \times 10^14 charged hadrons/cm2 and 5 \times 10^15 neutrons/cm2 are expected. In this paper, we report our investigation on charged hadron-induced radiation damage in BaF2, LYSO/LFS, and PWO crystals up to 3 \times 10^15 protons/cm2 by using 800-MeV protons at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. Comparison is made between radiation damages induced by protons and ionization dose alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gigahertz hard X-ray imaging for the proposed matter-radiation interaction in extreme project presents an unprecedented challenge to front imager in both speed and radiation hardness. Novel fast scintillators are to be developed to face these challenges. This paper presents an investigation on the optical and scintillation properties for a set of fast inorganic scintillators. Transmittance, emission, light output, and decay time were measured. Based on this investigation, we plan to take two approaches to develop inorganic scintillators with subnanoseconds of decay time for the gigahertz hard X-ray imaging. One is yttrium-doped barium fluoride single crystals, and another is based on gallium-doped ZnO nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BaF2 crystal is well known for its short fluorescent decay time for its fast component. In measuring the time profile of γ-ray flux density, it is important to suppress the contribution from the slow component in the BaF2 crystal. A multiple reflection and multiple-path (MRMP) short-wavelength pass filter is manufactured to achieve this goal, which can filter the slow component by wavelength selection. To accurately investigate the time profile of the fast component in the BaF2 crystal, <3 ps pulse length γ-ray source is used. The experimental results show that this filter reduces the slow scintillation light emitted from the BaF2 crystal by 99.7% with a detection efficiency of ≈ 0.11 electrons/γ for the fast component. The rise time, full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), and duration time for the fast component in a BaF2 detector are 0.31, 1.12, and 2.92 ns, respectively. The fast fluorescent component of the BaF2 crystal is short enough for subnanosecond pulse radiation detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how the transformation of BaF from a single-crystalline to polycrystalline state as a result of uniaxial hot-forming influences its properties. With increasing strain, the microstructure of the material changes from a nonuniform polycrystalline one, with a block size of about 1 mm, to a classic ceramic structure made up of grains in which dislocations form walls, resulting in a subgrain structure. The best mechanical characteristics are offered by the ceramic produced at a strain on the order of 700%. The intensity of the fast X-ray luminescence component (band at 220 nm) is independent of strain, whereas that of the slow component (band at 310 nm) decreases with increasing strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-phase samples of the Ba1−xCexF2+x solid solution (x = 0.3–0.4) were synthesized by directional crystallization in the form of single crystals and by co-precipitation from aqueous nitrate solutions using potassium fluoride as a fluorinating agent in the form of nanopowders. The cathodoluminescence of the pressed powder samples was studied in comparison with the BaF2: Ce single crystals in 250–460 nm (2.7–5 eV) spectral range upon excitation by an electron accelerator. The cathodoluminescence spectra of the samples revealed a wide band in the range of 3.0–4.0 eV, which consists of two typical components of Ce3+ with decay time 23 ns in the case of single crystals and three decay times 27 ns, 140–170 ns, and ~600 ns in the case of pressed powders. The decay time of the short-wavelength component (27 ns) in the case of pressed powders is close to the lifetime of the excited state of the Ce3+ ion. The developed X-ray phosphors can be applied for embedding in diamonds for diamond–nanoparticle composite preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic–inorganic composite scintillators, demonstrating advantages of easy large-area preparation and a high detection efficiency, have shown enormous potential application prospects in radiation detection and imaging. In this study, bulk polystyrene (PS) composite scintillators were successfully prepared by embedding inorganic BaF2 particles with a loading amount of up to 80 wt% during the polymerization process of the plastic scintillator. The inorganic BaF2 particles were uniformly dispersed in the organic matrix. With the increase of the loading amounts of BaF2 particles, the X-ray-excited luminescence intensity of the PS-BaF2 composite scintillators was about eight times higher than that of the commercial pure plastic scintillator. The scintillation counts under the gamma ray (59.5 KeV) irradiation also showed that the detection efficiency was obviously enhanced by BaF2 particle loading. More importantly, their scintillation pulse retains the decay kinetics of the organic matrix without loading the slow-decay component of BaF2. This work provides a promising solution for the application of the PS-BaF2 composite scintillator in high-efficiency radiation detection and large-area imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short-wavelength sub-nanosecond luminescence in BaF 2 material, discovered in the early 80s, gave a new direction to research into fast scintillators and phosphors. In contrast to 'typical' luminescence occurring within the forbidden band gap, the new type of emission was due to transitions between the upper core and valence bands. Thus it was named core-valence luminescence (CVL); the terms cross-luminescence and Auger-free luminescence have also been used. Given its unusual nature, this new luminescence process has attracted considerable interest in the field of condensed matter physics. During the sequent decades (till the end of the previous century) CVL has been experimentally observed in several dozen compounds and the conditions for detecting CVL have been established. Interest in this kind of luminescence increased in recent years due to the emergence of new methods of crystal synthesis, the development of high-speed solid-state photodetectors, and the construction of unique modern set-ups using synchrotron radiation. This paper analyzes the numerous studies of CVL, obtained mainly over the past decade. Experimental and theoretical data on this topic are considered in detail. Special attention is given to new results on scintillation characteristics of BaF 2 in the form of single crystals, ceramics, nanoparticles, and composites. The features of CVL in binary and ternary compounds are discussed. Some Cs- and Ba-based ternary halides show relatively high light yields and represent promising fast scintillators. The prospects of using materials with CVL as fast scintillators for time-of-flight positron emission tomography and other applications are deliberated. • Overview of recent theoretical and experimental findings on Core Valence luminescence. • Most attractive CVL crystals for ultrafast scintillator applications analyzed. • Prospects for future studies and underexplored CVL materials listed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barium fluoride (BaF2) crystals are attracting much attention as efficient inorganic scintillator promising for high‐energy physics, industrial inspection, and other fields because of the fast component of the decay time (0.6 ns) and high radiation resistance. However, two major drawbacks limit its practical application: (i) a slow decay time of ~600 ns is derived from self‐trapping excitons; (ii) the absolute light yield from the fast luminescence component is not competitive. The introducing of rare earth ions and preparation of BaF2 polycrystalline ceramics is considered to be effective measures to solve these bottlenecks. Pr3+ is extremely suitable as the activated ion of scintillation materials, which possess emission peaks located in visible band and the faster 5d–4f transition. In this work, highly sinterable Pr3+:BaF2 precursor powder was synthesized via the coprecipitation method by adjusting the reactant concentration and temperature. The morphology and microstructure of as‐synthesized powders were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmittance electron microscopy analysis. The 5 at.% Pr3+:BaF2 transparent ceramic with a transmittance of 50.7% at the wavelength of 500 nm was fabricated by hot pressing the as‐prepared powders at 900°C for 4 h under the axial pressure of 50 MPa. The SEM images of ceramic cross‐section show that the residual pore is the main light scattering source. The absorption and emission spectrum of ceramic samples were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dependence of X-ray excited luminescence intensity on BaF2 nanoparticle size was studied. A sharp decrease of self-trapped exciton luminescence intensity was observed when the nanoparticle size is less than 80 nm. The main mechanism of the luminescence quenching is caused by the escape of electrons from the nanoparticles. Escape of electrons from nanoparticles is confirmed by the considerable increase of luminescence intensity of the polystyrene scintillator with embedded BaF2 nanoparticles comparing with pure polystyrene scintillator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gigahertz (GHz) hard X-ray imaging for the proposed MaRIE project presents an unprecedented challenge for the front imager in both speed and radiation hardness. We proposed two ultrafast inorganic-scintillator-based front imager concepts: a total absorption one and a multilayer one, and investigated optical and scintillation properties for a set of inorganic scintillators at the Caltech HEP crystal laboratory. The results show that yttrium doped barium fluoride crystals and gallium doped ZnO nano-particle-based films are promising for these two concepts, respectively. In this paper, we report their optical and scintillation property as well recent progresses on slow component suppressing in barium fluoride crystals by yttrium doping, and its radiation hardness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray backscatter imaging can be used for a wide range of imaging applications, in particular for industrial inspection and portal security. Currently, the application of this imaging technique to the detection of landmines is limited due to the surrounding sand or soil strongly attenuating the 10s to 100s of keV X-rays required for backscatter imaging. Here, we introduce a new approach involving a 140 MeV short-pulse (< 100 fs) electron beam generated by laser wakefield acceleration to probe the sample, which produces Bremsstrahlung X-rays within the sample enabling greater depths to be imaged. A variety of detector and scintillator configurations are examined, with the best time response seen from an absorptive coated BaF2 scintillator with a bandpass filter to remove the slow scintillation emission components. An X-ray backscatter image of an array of different density and atomic number items is demonstrated. The use of a compact laser wakefield accelerator to generate the electron source, combined with the rapid development of more compact, efficient and higher repetition rate high power laser systems will make this system feasible for applications in the field. Content includes material subject to Dstl (c) Crown copyright (2014). Licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-governmentlicence/ version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@ nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scintillation properties of powders and single-crystals of BaFI doped with Eu2+ are presented. Single crystals were grown by the vertical Bridgman technique. Under optical and X-ray excitation, the samples exhibit a narrow Eu2+ 5d - 4f transition emission centered at 405 nm. The scintillation light output is estimated to be 55 000±5 000 photons/MeV at 662 keV with 85% of the light decaying within 600 ns. An energy resolution of 8.5% full width at half maximum (FWHM) has been achieved using this scintillator for 662 keV excitation (137Cs source) at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A digital pulse-shape method (DPSM) is proposed to improve the time resolution of a BaF2 scintillation detector for low-energy gamma rays. By using chi-square fitting of digitally measured pulse shapes with calculated shapes, the proposed DPSM determined the pulse height and the start time corresponding to the deposited energy and the interaction moment, respectively, of gamma rays incident on the BaF2 scintillator. We calculated theoretical pulse shapes by considering light output, light-attenuation length, and light path within the scintillator. In particular, we calculated the light path inside the scintillator by using a Monte Carlo method. We performed coincidence measurements for gamma rays emitted from 22Na and 133Ba standard sources with two cylindrical BaF2 scintillation detectors and then we obtained a time resolution of around 6 ns for 81-keV and 511-keV gamma rays by using the DPSM. Although time resolution obtained using the DPSM was inferior to that obtained using a conventional analog signal process, it had a consistent value irrespective of gamma-ray energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fast gateless pulse stretcher has been developed for an easy acquisition of pulse-shape information of BaF2 scintillator signals. Commonly, this information is obtained by the use of two QDCs with different integration windows. This technique becomes complex and rather inconvenient when signals need to be delayed. The developed circuit uses a fast-stretcher technique to generate pulse-shape information, which requires no delay lines or gate signals. The outputs consist of two Gaussian signals whose amplitudes are propotional to the height of the BaF2 fast component and to the total energy deposited into the scintillator. These outputs are easily acquired with a standard peak ADC with no gate-timing problems. An excellent Fast-Slow separation has been obtained even with small input signals of only few millivolts. This technology is general purpose and can be used with any other scintillator whose light emission is characterized by two components with different lifetimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the results of investigations aimed at simulating the response of a barium fluoride (BaF2) detector to neutrons and photons. The simulations are performed with the MCNP-PoliMi code, a modification of MCNF-4C. The simulation results are compared to time-of-flight measurements performed with the nuclear materials identification system (NMIS). In particular, the neutron detection capabilities of the BaF2 scintillator are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]