This project seeks to enhance the sensitivity and applicability of scintillator materials for nuclear threat detection. The project will investigate the effect of adding metallic nanoparticles to high density scintillator materials. The aim is to investigate whether the addition of these nanoparticles can simultaneously increase the quantum efficiency and decrease the decay time of the scintillator. If this can be achieved it could lead to higher quality detectors with enhanced applicability for homeland security and other applications. The broader impacts of the proposed research lie in the development of an improved type of scintillator detector, with improved count rate and energy resolution. In addition a postdoctoral fellow and undergraduate student will be involved in the research.
