Scintillation characteristics of a NaI(Tl) crystal at low-temperature with silicon photomultiplier

Abstract

© 2022 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab.The scintillation characteristics of a thallium-doped sodium iodide (NaI(Tl)) crystal with dimensions of 0.6 cm× 0.6 cm× 2 cm were studied by attaching a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) directly to the crystal over a temperature range of 93-300 K. The scintillation light output and decay time were measured by irradiating 59.54 keV γ-rays with a 241Am source. We observed an approximately 20% increase in the light yield at 230 K compared with that at room temperature. Under these conditions, NaI(Tl) crystals with SiPM readout can be suitable for future dark matter search detectors.