Understanding Neutron Radiography Post Exam Reading VIII-Part 2a of 2A

Scintillation Process
Radiation interactions with matter produce excitation as well as irrigation.
Ionization refers to the removal of an electron from an atom and excitation
refers to the elevation of an electron’s energy state. The return of excited
electrons to their normal, lower energy state is called deexcitation.
Scintillators excited by ionizing radiation return to lower energy states quickly
and emit visible light during the deexcitation process. Radiation detection is
possible by measuring the scintillator’s light output (Fig. 16).
Charlie Chong/ Fion Zhang