Radiation Damage and Activation from Proton Irradiation of Advanced Scintillators

• Published in: 2006 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record Vol. 3; pp. 1500 - 1505
• Main Authors: Bloser, P.F., McConnell, M.L., Macri, J.R., Bruillard, P.J., Ryan, J.M., Hajdas, W.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.01.2006
• Subjects: Crystalline materials; Energy resolution; Extraterrestrial measurements; Gamma ray detectors; Glass; Optical coupling; Optical materials; Protons; Radiation detectors; Spectroscopy
• ISBN: 9781424405602; 1424405602
• ISSN: 1082-3654; 2577-0829
• DOI: 10.1109/NSSMIC.2006.354183

We present results from a proton accelerator beam test to measure radiation damage and activation in advanced scintillator materials. Samples of LaBr 3 :Ce and LaCl 2 :Ce were exposed to protons from 40-250 MeV at the Proton Irradiation Facility of the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. Twelve energy bands were used to simulate the spectrum of the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), with different samples exposed to the equivalent of 4 months, 1 year, and 5 years of SAA passage. No significant decrease in light output was found due to radiation damage, indicating that these new scintillator materials are radiation tolerant. High-resolution spectra of the samples were obtained before and after irradiation with a germanium spectrometer to study activation. We present a detailed analysis of these spectra and a discussion of the suitability of these scintillator materials for detectors in future space missions.