Experiments on high excitation density, quenching, and radiative kinetics in CsI:Tl scintillator

Information on quenching as a function of electron-hole density through the range of 10¹⁹ to 2×10²⁰ e-h/cm³ typically deposited towards the end of an electron track has been acquired using 0.5 ps pulses of 5.9 eV light to excite in the band-to-band or high-exciton region of CsI and CsI:Tl. A streak camera records partially quenched luminescence from self-trapped excitons (STE) and excited activators (Tl^+?). Both the Tl^+? and STE luminescence exhibit decreasing light yield versus excitation density N_max, but it is only the 302 nm STE luminescence that exhibits decay time quenching dependent on N_max. Fitting the STE decay time data to a model of dipole-dipole quenching yields the time-dependent bimolecular rate constant for quenching of STEs (and Tl^+? light yield) in CsI at room temperature: k₂(t)=2.4×10⁻¹⁵ cm³ s^−1/2 (t^−1/2).