Scintillation properties of solution-grown trans-stilbene single crystals

Abstract

The scintillation properties of trans-stilbene crystals grown for the first time by application of the solution growth technique to the scale of 10 cm are reported. Measurements of the scintillation light output, pulse shape discrimination, and neutron detection efficiency were made with sets of crystals cut as 50 cm diameter cylinders of different lengths from 0.3 to 10 cm. Comparison to liquid scintillators and traditional melt-grown stilbene showed that at increasing sizes new solution-grown crystals exhibit better scintillation performance that makes them promising for use in large scale neutron detectors. Results are discussed in relation to structural imperfections attributed to different methods of growth.

Fast neutron counting in a mobile, trailer-based search platform

“…We suggest that the measurement results presented here are representative of the fact that some sources (in the subset of shielded Pu threats) could be visible while moving only through use of the fast neutron counting modality. This work implies that the addition of fast neutron counting, especially considering a brighter organic scintillator like stilbene [13], may add value for mobile detection of shielded Pu. The full-scale mobile system proposed here, although expected to add capability, is quite complex, expensive, and heavy.…”

High-precision characterization of the neutron light output of stilbene along the directions of maximum and minimum response

“…The crystalline organic scintillator trans-stilbene (hereafter referred to as stilbene) has attracted renewed interest for radiation detection applications [1][2][3] due to the recent development of a solution-based growth method that enables the fabrication of large monocrystals with excellent neutron-gamma pulse shape discrimination (PSD) and high light output [4][5][6]. Stilbene, like many crystalline organic scintillators, exhibits an anisotropic scintillation response to heavy charged particles; the response is dependent on the charged particle trajectory with respect to the crystalline axis.…”

X-ray topographic study of growth defects of trans-stilbene crystals grown from solutions

“…Recently Carman et al [9] and Zaitseva et al [10] showed that high-optical quality crystals of stilbene can be grown to a 10-cm scale from solution. Some current and future applications may require larger size and quantity of crystals, production of which can be a complicated task without detailed knowledge of the growth mechanisms and structure, to avoid formation of defects harmful for the final application.…”