Radiation resistance of praseodymium-doped aluminum lithium fluorophosphate scintillator glasses for laser fusion experiments

Abstract We report the gamma ( γ )-ray radiation resistance of praseodymium (Pr 3+ )-doped aluminum lithium fluorophosphate scintillator glasses. For its assessment as a scintillator material for laser fusion experiments, a 20Al(PO 3 ) 3 -80LiF-PrF 3 (Pr 3+ -doped APLF) glass was irradiated with γ -rays from a cobalt-60 ( 60 Co) source resulting in an absorbed dose of 5.2 kGy. Although γ -ray-irradiation results in increased absorption due to phosphorus-oxygen hole centers (POHCs) and PO 3 2− electron centers (PO 3 ECs), these radiation-induced defects do not modify the glass emission as both non-irradiated and γ -ray-irradiated glasses exhibit similar emission spectra and decay times under optical and X-ray excitation. The emission peaks observed also correspond to the different interconfigurational 4f5d → 4f 2 and intraconfigurational 4f 2 transitions of Pr 3+ ions which are neither oxidized nor reduced by irradiation. Our results show that Pr 3+ -doped APLF glass still maintains its characteristic fast decay time and that γ -ray irradiation does not affect the glass scintillation mechanisms.