Response curves of alkali halide scintillators with special reference to the Li6(n,α) reaction in lithium iodide

Abstract

Proton and gamma-ray responses of the alkali halide scintillators, NaI, KI, CsI, LiI and Li⁶I have been obtained and the response of a 5-MeV proton was found to be approximately equivalent to the response of a 7-MeV electron for all five scintillators.

Special emphasis was given to the responses of LiI and Li⁶I in an attempt to clarify various anomalies which have arisen in the course of neutron energy measurements with LiI by means of the Li⁶(n,α) reaction. From an estimate of the triton response of LiI and Li⁶I, which was derived from the proton and gamma-ray data in conjuntion with the alpha-particle response and measurements of the pulse height of the Li⁶(n,α) group, it has been shown that energy calibration of the Li⁶(n,α) group with gamma rays is unsatisfactory.