Dynamic enhancement of radioluminescence in solar blind spectral region

Alpha emitting radiation sources are typically hard to detect due to the short range of alpha particles in air (4 cm). A remote detection of alpha radiation in air is possible by imaging the ionization-induced fluorescence (radioluminescence) of air molecules [1]. The alpha-induced ultraviolet light is mainly emitted by molecular nitrogen as fluorescent light with wavelengths in the regime of 297-405 nm. The main benefit of this method is the long range of UV-photons in air, which allows for remote detection of alpha emitting radiation sources. However, in many applications background lighting caused by sunlight with a spectrum reaching down to ~300 nm makes the fluorescence signal difficult to isolate [2]. Under environmental conditions radioluminescence in wavelength regimes <;300 nm (the solar blind spectral region) by molecules other than N
₂
is not detectable.