GROWTH OF LEAD CARBONATE SCINTILLATOR CRYSTALS

THIS PROJECT RESPONDS TO A NEED FOR LARGE-VOLUME, HIGH-DENSITY, HIGH-Z SCINTILLATOR CRYSTALS FOR ANTI-COINCIDENCE SHIELDING OF GAMMA-RAY ASTRONOMY DETECTORS. THE COMBINED REQUIREMENTS OF HIGH CAPTURE PROBABILITY AND ULTRASHORT COINCIDENCE WINDOWS (DECAY TIMES) CLOSELY RESEMBLE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY (PET) SCINTILLATORS. A RECENT EXTENSIVESURVEY AT THE LAWRENCE BERKELEY LABORATORY INDICATES THAT CERUSSITE (NATURALLY OCCURRING PBCO3) IS THE BEST MATERIAL FOUND TO DATE FOR BOTH APPLICATIONS. AT PRESENT, NO TECHNIQUE FOR THE GROWTH OF LARGE, PURE PBCO3 CRYSTALS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED. THE PROJECT WILL EXPLORE THREE NOVEL TECHNIQUES AND DEVELOP ONE FOR THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF LARGE, PURE, OPTICALLY PERFECT LEAD CARBONATE SCINTILLATOR CRYSTALS. THIS PROJECT RESPONDS TO A NEED FOR LARGE-VOLUME, HIGH-DENSITY, HIGH-Z SCINTILLATOR CRYSTALS FOR ANTI-COINCIDENCE SHIELDING OF GAMMA-RAY ASTRONOMY DETECTORS. THE COMBINED REQUIREMENTS OF HIGH CAPTURE PROBABILITY AND ULTRASHORT COINCIDENCE WINDOWS (DECAY TIMES) CLOSELY RESEMBLE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY (PET) SCINTILLATORS. A RECENT EXTENSIVESURVEY AT THE LAWRENCE BERKELEY LABORATORY INDICATES THAT CERUSSITE (NATURALLY OCCURRING PBCO3) IS THE BEST MATERIAL FOUND TO DATE FOR BOTH APPLICATIONS. AT PRESENT, NO TECHNIQUE FOR THE GROWTH OF LARGE, PURE PBCO3 CRYSTALS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED. THE PROJECT WILL EXPLORE THREE NOVEL TECHNIQUES AND DEVELOP ONE FOR THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF LARGE, PURE, OPTICALLY PERFECT LEAD CARBONATE SCINTILLATOR CRYSTALS.