TG5: Optical Scintillators/Crystals

Scintillators are materials that emit light when excited by ionizing radiation and important components of many high energy physics detection systems. Scintillators exist in various atomic compositions and physical forms including crystals, plastics, liquids, water-based liquids, glasses, and gasses. This variability leads to a wide range of physical properties. Characterization is critical to inform the design, development, and interpretation of data from scintillator-based detection systems. This topical group studies fundamental properties and characterization methods for scintillators, including e.g., scintillator light yield, electronic and nuclear response, temporal response, emission wavelength, attenuation length, and pulse shape discrimination.