CeBr/sub 3/ scintillators for gamma-ray spectroscopy

In this paper, we report on a new scintillator, cerium bromide (CeBr
₃
), for gamma-ray spectroscopy. Crystals of this scintillator have been grown using Bridgman process. In this material Ce
³⁺
is an intrinsic constituent as well as a luminescence center for the scintillation process. Samples of CeBr
₃
showed high light output (~68000 photons/MeV) and fast decay constant (~17 ns). Furthermore, they exhibited excellent energy resolution for gamma-ray detection. For example, energy resolution of <4% full width at half maximum (FWHM) has been achieved using this scintillator for 662 keV photons (
¹³⁷
Cs source) at room temperature. High timing resolution (<200 ps-FWHM) has been recorded with CeBr
₃
-photomultiplier (PMT) and BaF
₂
-PMT detectors operating in coincidence using 511 keV positron annihilation gamma-ray pairs