Alpha and beta particle induced scintillations in liquid and solid neon

Abstract

Scintillations induced by alpha and beta particles in liquid and solid neon are studied and their light yield measured. Charged particle scintillation in neon is primarily in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV). We detect this EUV light by converting it to blue using a wavelength shifting fluor and detecting the blue light with a photomultiplier tube. It is observed that liquid neon is a somewhat less-efficient scintillator than liquid helium for both alpha and beta radiation while the light yield in solid neon is greater than in liquid helium. Based on our measurements of the relative light yields of liquid and solid neon to liquid helium whose absolute light yield has previously been determined, we find that an alpha source in liquid neon produces up to 5900 photons per MeV while a beta source produces up to 7400 photons per MeV. In solid neon, we find that an alpha particle produces up to 9300 photons per MeV while a beta particle produces up to 17,000 photons per MeV. We observe a significant dependence of the scintillation efficiency on temperature. The decay of the fluorescence from the scintillation is observed over time.