K2CeCl5: A new scintillator material

Abstract: We report the scintillation properties of a new material, K2CeCl5, which was grown by vertical Bridgman technique. Under excitation of 4.5MeV α-particles, the Ce3+ emission had a single peak centered at 370nm with a width of 20nm. The scintillation light output was estimated to be ∼30,000photons/MeV for γ excitation at 662keV and ∼24,000photons/MeV γ equivalent (assuming an α/γ ratio of 0.34) under α excitation. The smaller light yield for αs can be partly explained by surface damage of the sample during polishing and subsequent partial oxidation of the Ce luminescence centers. The energy resolution at 662keV was measured to be about 5.8%. Importantly, K2CeCl5 is found to be much less hygroscopic than lanthanum halide scintillators and may therefore preferred in applications where enclosing the material is not feasible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]