The Fundamental Gamma Rays and Charge Particle Interactions of the CeBr3 Scintillator

The research aims to study the primary interaction between gamma radiation in CeBr3 crystal. The analysis of mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), effective atomic number (Z(eff)), electron density (N-eff), mean free path (MFP), and energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) was evaluated using the using the WinXCom software. Also, the interaction with charged particles as the total mass stopping power (TMSP), projected range (PR) of proton (H-1(1)) and alpha (H-4(2)e) particles were evaluated by SRIM programming. The results found that the MAC depends on the energy ranges, the photoelectric effect is the main interaction at low energy ranges, Compton scattering phenomena illustrate and evidents at intermediate energy ranges, and pair production characteristics dominate over on 1.022 MeV in high energy ranges. Moreover, absorption edges appear on energy's discontinuity at low energy. The Z(eff) and N-eff show similar trends and correspond to the energy ranges. The MFP of the CeBr3 compared with some standard scintillators such as NaI and BGO crystal and found that the BGO responds to faster interaction than CeBr3 and NaI crystals. The EABF shows scattering energies followed by atomic equivalent (Z(eq)), and they also increase with increasing penetration depth (mfp). The TMSP and PR depend on charged particles, density, and the unit path distance of a material.

Automated summary

This research aims to study the primary interaction between gamma radiation in CeBr3 crystal. The mass attenuation coefficient, effective atomic number, electron density, mean free path, and energy absorption buildup factor were analyzed using WinXCom software. The interaction with charged particles including total mass stopping power and projected range was evaluated using SRIM programming. The results showed that the interaction depended on energy ranges, with photoelectric effect dominating at low energy and Compton scattering phenomena and pair production characteristics at intermediate and high energy ranges. CeBr3 exhibited a longer mean free path compared to other scintillators like NaI and BGO crystals. The research provides insights into the interaction between gamma radiation and CeBr3 crystal, contributing to the understanding of its properties and potential applications.