Research for a novel ceramics scintillator applied to a high temperature environment

Oxides ceramics scintillator with no activator has been developed. With the measurement of luminescence at irradiating several sintered ceramics of rare-earth oxides with 1 MeV proton beams, luminescence peaks were observed for Eu2O3, Gd2O3 and Er2O3. The γ ray induced luminescence of these oxides were also tested up to at temperature of 400degC and luminescence peaks of Eu2O3 and Gd2O3 were observed, not Er2O3. The amount of luminescence of Eu2O3, Gd2O3 does not decrease with elevated temperature, while that of ZnS(Ag) decreases with temperature increase and almost vanishes at temperature of 400degC. Oxide ceramics scintillator can be applied to a high temperature environment. (T. Tanaka)