BaBrI:Eu2+, a new bright scintillator

The scintillation properties of BaBrI:Eu2+ are reported. Crystals were produced by the vertical Bridgman technique in a sealed quartz ampoule. Excellent scintillation properties were measured. A light yield of 81,000±3000 photons per MeV (ph/MeV) of absorbed gamma-ray energy was measured. An energy resolution (FWHM over peak position) of 4.8±0.5% was observed for the 662 keV full absorption peak. Pulsed X-ray luminescence measurements show two exponential decay components of 297 and 482 ns with a contribution to the total light output of 23% and 77%, respectively. Under X-ray and UV excitation, the emission corresponds to a broadband center at 413 nm. These initial values make BaBrI:Eu2+ one of the brightest and the fastest known Eu2+-doped scintillators.