A strontium iodide crystal doped by europium (SrI2(Eu)) was produced by using the Stockbarger growth technique. The crystal was subjected to a characterization that includes relative photoelectron output and energy resolution for γ quanta. The intrinsic radioactivity of the SrI2(Eu) crystal scintillator was tested both by using it as scintillator at sea level and by ultra-low background HPGe γ spectrometry deep underground. The response of the SrI2(Eu) detector to α particles (α/β ratio and pulse shape) was estimated by analysing the 226Ra internal trace contamination of the crystal. We have measured: α/β=0.55 at View the MathML source, and no difference in the time decay of the scintillation pulses induced by α particles and γ quanta. The application of the obtained results in the search for the double electron capture and electron capture with positron emission in 84Sr has been investigated at a level of sensitivity: View the MathML source. The results of these studies demonstrate the potentiality of this material for a variety of scintillation applications, including low-level counting experiments.
Belli, P., Bernabei, R., Cerulli, R., Danevich, F.a., Galenin, F., Gektin, A., et al. (2012). Radioactive contamination of SrI2(Eu) crystal scintillator. NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH. SECTION A, ACCELERATORS, SPECTROMETERS, DETECTORS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT, 670, 10-17 [10.1016/j.nima.2011.12.051].
Radioactive contamination of SrI2(Eu) crystal scintillator
BERNABEI, RITA;
2012-01-01
Abstract
A strontium iodide crystal doped by europium (SrI2(Eu)) was produced by using the Stockbarger growth technique. The crystal was subjected to a characterization that includes relative photoelectron output and energy resolution for γ quanta. The intrinsic radioactivity of the SrI2(Eu) crystal scintillator was tested both by using it as scintillator at sea level and by ultra-low background HPGe γ spectrometry deep underground. The response of the SrI2(Eu) detector to α particles (α/β ratio and pulse shape) was estimated by analysing the 226Ra internal trace contamination of the crystal. We have measured: α/β=0.55 at View the MathML source, and no difference in the time decay of the scintillation pulses induced by α particles and γ quanta. The application of the obtained results in the search for the double electron capture and electron capture with positron emission in 84Sr has been investigated at a level of sensitivity: View the MathML source. The results of these studies demonstrate the potentiality of this material for a variety of scintillation applications, including low-level counting experiments.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
