Scintillator

A scintillator is a material characterized by the spontaneous emission of electromagnetic radiation, when exposed to ionizing radiation. This behaviour is exploited in scintillation detectors in which a sensor (such as a silicon photomultiplier) is coupled to the material in order to detect the emitted radition.

Ionization of scintillator material

The passage of ionizing radiation through scintillating material liberates

Schematic of atomic excitation during fluorescence and phosphorescence