Luminescence of CsGd2F7 crystals.

Optical and dosimetric properties of nominally pure CsGd2F7 crystals and of CsGd2F7 crystals doped with various concentrations of Pr3+ ions were investigated. Effects of X, beta and UV irradiation on these crystals were studied. Methods of optical absorption, X and UV excited luminescence, thermoluminescence (TL), phototransferred thermoluminescence and optically stimulated luminescence were used in these investigations. The dependence of the TL efficiency on the radiation dose was found to be linear up to 6 kGy for the 3 at.% Pr3+ doped samples. The crystals containing from 0.3 at.% to 1.0 at.% of Pr3+ ions were found to have the best TL sensitivity and the intensity of the main TL peak in these samples was more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of the pure crystals. The TL sensitivity of the CsGd,F7:Pr3+ crystals was also compared with that of other commonly used TLD materials.