A custom experimental setup for scintillator characterization: application to a Ce-doped GAGG crystal

Abstract Scintillators are widely used in radiation detection, with continuous advancements enhancing their performance and developing new materials. This study presents a custom experimental setup for the characterization of crystal scintillators under different temperature and pressure conditions. The setup is flexible and capable of providing prompt feedback, which is crucial for material development. We tested the setup with a Ce-doped $$\hbox {Gd}_{3}\hbox {Al}_{2}\hbox {Ga}_{3}\hbox {O}_{12}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mtext>Gd</mml:mtext> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub> <mml:mtext>Al</mml:mtext> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub> <mml:mtext>Ga</mml:mtext> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub> <mml:mtext>O</mml:mtext> <mml:mn>12</mml:mn> </mml:msub> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> (GAGG) scintillator, evaluating its response to different types of radiation, particularly alpha particles. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of GAGG ’s scintillation properties, including light output, quenching factors, and pulse-shape discrimination capabilities.