SINGLE CRYSTAL FIBERS OF CERIUM DOPED GADOLINIUM SILICATE FOR SCINTILLATION DETECTORS

SCINTILLATION DETECTORS HAVE BEEN AND ARE CONTINUING TO BE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE MAKING OF NEW DISCOVERIES IN MANY FIELDSSUCH AS NUCLEAR PHYSICS, HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS, ASTROPHYSICS, SOLID STATE PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, BIOLOGY, MEDICINE, AND EARTHSCIENCES. THE MOST EFFICIENT SCINTILLATION MATERIALS HAVE BEEN THE INORGANIC CRYSTAL SCINTILLATORS. NAL (T1) HAS BEENTHE MOST WIDELY USED MATERIAL AND HAS LED TO MANY IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES AND APPLICATIONS. HOWEVER, THIS MATERIAL DOES HAVE SEVERAL DISADVANTAGES IN THAT IT IS HYGROSCOPIC, HAS A LONG RADIATION LENGTH, HAS POOR MECHANICAL PROPERTIESAND HASAN "AFTERGLOW". GD2SI05(CE) OVERCOMES MOST OF THE SHORTCOMINGS OF NAL (T1). RECENTLY, POLYMER SCINTILLATION FIBERS HAVE SHOWN THAT FIBERS CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE SIZE OF SCINTILLATION DETECTOR SYSTEMS AND CAN ALSO RESULT IN MUCH GREATER SPATIAL RESOLUTION. WE ARE PROPOSING TO DEVELOP SINGLE CRYSTAL FIBERS OF A NEW SCINTILLATOR MATERIAL, GD2SI05(CE) USING THE LASER-HEATED PEDESTAL-GROWTHTECHNIQUE THAT LASERGENICS CORPORATION HAS LICENSED FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITY. THESE FIBERS WILL HAVE MUCH GREATER EFFICIENCIES THAN THE POLYMER FIBERS THAT HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED AND WILL HAVE EVEN HIGHER RESOLUTION. THIS COULD LEAD TO MUCH SIMPLER AND CHEAPER DETECTION SYSTEMS FORNUCLEAR AND HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS.