Study on scintillation properties and proton-induced radiation damage of LaCl[formula omitted] crystals.

A Cs 2 LiYCl 6 (CLYC) scintillation crystal is a promising candidate for fast neutron spectroscopy due to its dual mode gamma/neutron capability and good energy resolution. Despite promising features, CLYC's limited radiation tolerance and inability to separate alpha/proton particles using pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method restrict its applicability in fast neutron spectroscopy. The significant cross-sections for 35Cl(n,p)35S and 35Cl(n, α)32P reactions make 35Cl-containing crystals attractive candidates for fast neutron detection, prompting their development as a promising new solution. This study reports the growth of LaCl 3 crystals via the Bridgman technique, enabling further exploration of their scintillation and material properties for fast neutron detection applications. The effects of the proton irradiation on LaCl 3 crystals were investigated by irradiating them with a 100 MeV proton beam at the Korea Multi-purpose Accelerator Complex. The study quantified radiation damage by comparing the pre- and post-irradiation scintillation properties and PSD of the LaCl 3 crystals. The results of the measurements demonstrate that LaCl 3 crystals are promising candidates for applications in fast neutron identification, spectroscopy, and space mission, maintaining performance even under high-radiation environments. • Good alpha/proton separation capability of undoped LaCl 3 crystals. • We successfully grew undoped LaCl 3 crystals up to a size of 38 Φ mm x 25 mm. • Scintillation properties of the crystals showed good agreement with published values. • Direct unfolding method was achieved for fast neutron measurements. • Radiation hardness of LaCl 3 crystals was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]