Comparison of light output and energy resolution for trans-stilbene, EJ-309, and organic glass scintillators

The lack of direct comparison data for new and existing scintillators is a challenge in selecting organic scintillators used in various radiation detection applications. To address this gap, we characterized three ∅2.54 by 2.54 cm cylindrical organic scintillators in the same experimental conditions: trans -stilbene crystalline scintillator, organic glass scintillator (OGS), and EJ-309 liquid scintillator. Using a coincident backscatter configuration with a NaI(Tl) detector and a Cs-137 source, we isolated gamma-ray backscatter events to measure and analyze the pulse integral spectra resulting from 478 keV energy depositions in each scintillator. The energy resolution at 478 keV, determined via Gaussian fits to the backscatter-gated spectra, were found to be 10.67 ± 0.32% for the trans -stilbene, 10.00 ± 0.28% for the OGS, and 12.46 ± 0.35% for the EJ-309. The relative light outputs, normalized to EJ-309, were 1.48 ± 0.02 for OGS, and 1.36 ± 0.03 for trans- stilbene. These results show that OGS offers both the highest scintillation light yield and the best energy resolution among the three scintillators in this study. While each of these scintillators has previously been studied, this is the first time they have been directly compared under the same experimental conditions allowing for direct comparisons between their energy resolution and light outputs. • This work measures 2.54 cm trans -stilbene, EJ309, and organic glass scintillators • Coincident backscatter configuration isolated events with max energy deposition • Experiment used to compare energy resolution and relative light output