Hadron-Induced Radiation Damage in LuAG:Ce Scintillating Ceramics

Abstract

Because of their potential low cost, bright light, and fast decay time, LuAG:Ce ceramic scintillators have attracted a broad interest in the high-energy physics community. One crucial issue for their application in future high-energy physics experiments is their radiation hardness against neutrons and protons expected at future hadron colliders. We report optical and scintillation performance of 1-mm LuAG:Ce ceramic samples doped with Mg²⁺ (and Ca²⁺) and their radiation damage induced by hadrons. While Mg²⁺ co-doping improves their light output, Ca²⁺ co-doping improves their fast to total (F/T) ratio. LuAG:Ce ceramic samples were irradiated at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), Los Alamos, NM, USA, by neutrons up to 6.7×10¹⁵ n_(eq)/cm² and by 24-GeV and 800-MeV protons at CERN PS-IRRAD up to 1.2×10¹⁵ p/cm² and at LANSCE up to 2.3×10¹⁴ p/cm², respectively. All samples show excellent radiation hardness with more than 90% of light after irradiation. The RIAC values induced by neutrons are found to be a factor of 2 smaller than lutetium–yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO:Ce) crystals. The RIAC values induced by protons are also found a factor of 2 smaller than LYSO:Ce crystals in LuAG:Ce ceramic samples with good optical quality. Research and development will continue to develop LuAG:Ce scintillating ceramics with improved optical quality for future investigation.