The present disclosure discloses a method for growing a crystal for detecting neutrons, gamma rays, and/or x rays. The method may include weighting reactants based on a molar ratio of the reactants according to a reaction equation (1?x?z)X.sub.2O.sub.3+SiO.sub.2+2xCeO.sub.2+zZ.sub.2O.sub.3.fwdarw.X.sub.2(1?x?Z)Ce.sub.2xZ.sub.2zSiO.sub.5+z/2O.sub.2? or (1?x?y?z)X.sub.2O.sub.3+yY.sub.2O.sub.3+SiO.sub.2+2xCeO.sub.2+zZ.sub.2O.sub.3.fwdarw.X.sub.2(1?x?y?z)Y.sub.2yCe.sub.2xZ.sub.2zSiO.sub.5+x/20.sub.2?; placing the reactants on which a second preprocessing operation has been performed into a crystal growth device after an assembly processing operation is performed on at least one component of the crystal growth device; introducing a flowing gas into the crystal growth device after sealing the crystal growth device; and activating the crystal growth device to grow the crystal based on the Czochralski technique.

Disclosed is a light-emitting device provided with a solid-state light-emitting element and a phosphor and emits output light. The spectral distribution of the output light has a first light component and a second light component derived from fluorescence emitted by the phosphor, and has a first minimum value between the first light component and the second light component. The first light component is a fluorescent component having a maximum intensity value within a wavelength range of 560 nm or more and less than 700 nm. The second light component is a fluorescent component having a maximum intensity value within a wavelength range of 700 nm or more and less than 2500 nm. The maximum intensity value of the second light component is greater than that of the first light component. The first minimum value is less than 50% of the maximum intensity value of the second light component.

A crystal material that is represented by a general formula (1): (RE.sub.xA.sub.1-x-y-sB.sub.yM.sub.s).sub.2+?(Si.sub.1-t,M.sub.t).sub.2+?O.sub.7+? (1), the crystal material having a pyrochlore type structure, being a nonstoichiometric composition, and being a congruent melting composition, wherein in Formula (1), A contains at least one or more selected from Gd, Y, La, Sc, Yb, and Lu; B contains at least one or more selected from La, Gd, Yb, Lu, Y, and Sc; 0.1?y<0.4; RE contains at least one or more selected from Ce, Pr, Nd, Eu, Tb, and Yb; 0<x<0.1; M and M contain at least one or more selected from Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ti, Zr, Hf, Fe, Ta, and W; 0?s<0.01 and 0?t<0.01; and 0<|?|<0.3 and 0?|?|<0.3 and 0?|?|<0.5.

Scintillating compounds, methods of synthesizing scintillating compounds, and applications of scintillating compounds are disclosed. The scintillating compounds can include cesium rare earth silicates. A scintillating compound can include cesium, silicon, oxygen, fluorine, and one or more of europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium and scandium. The scintillating compounds can form unit cells having the general formula Cs.sub.3RESi.sub.4O.sub.10F.sub.2 with RE including rare earth metals, lanthanides, and transition metals

A crystal material that is represented by a general formula (1): (RE.sub.xA.sub.1-x-y-sB.sub.yM.sub.s).sub.2+?(Si.sub.1-tM.sub.t).sub.2+?O.sub.7+? (1), the crystal material having a pyrochlore type structure, being a nonstoichiometric composition, and being a congruent melting composition, wherein in Formula (1), A contains at least one or more selected from Gd, Y, La, Sc, Yb, and Lu; B contains at least one or more selected from La, Gd, Yb, Lu, Y, and Sc; 0.1?y<0.4; RE contains at least one or more selected from Ce, Pr, Nd, Eu, Tb, and Yb; 0<x<0.1; M and M contain at least one or more selected from Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ti, Zr, Hf, Fe, Ta, and W; 0?s<0.01 and 0?t<0.01; and 0<|?|<0.3 and 0?|?|<0.3 and 0?|?|<0.5.

An improved method for peak detection in a two-dimensional image is disclosed. In one implementation, the method includes one or more of the following steps: generating a smooth image from the two-dimensional image, detecting a plurality of local peaks in the smooth image, detecting a plurality of true peaks among the plurality of local peaks, and generating a peak-detected image from the smooth image. The smooth image includes a plurality of pixels, where each pixel of the plurality of pixels has an intensity level and an address. The address includes a row number and a column number. The peak-detected image includes a first true peaks subset from the plurality of true peaks. In one implementation, the intensity level of each true peak of the first true peaks subset is higher than an intensity threshold. The method further includes localizing at least one true peak of the first true peaks subset in the peak-detected image.

An upconversion phosphor having a formula of LiRSiOF:xPr.sup.3+, where R is yttrium (Y) or lutetium (Lu). The value of x is 0.001 to 5 and represents a mole percentage (%) based on the total number of moles of all elements in the upconversion phosphor. Following excitation with sunlight, the upconversion phosphor emits light with a wavelength in the range of 250 nanometers (nm) to 350 nm.

A scintillation compound can include a rare earth element that is in a divalent (RE.sup.2+) or a tetravalent state (RE.sup.4+). The scintillation compound can include another element to allow for better change balance. The other element may be a principal constituent of the scintillation compound or may be a dopant or a co-dopant. In an embodiment, a metal element in a trivalent state (M.sup.3+) may be replaced by RE.sup.4+ and a metal element in a divalent state (M.sup.2+). In another embodiment, M.sup.3+ may be replaced by RE.sup.2+ and M.sup.4+. In a further embodiment, M.sup.2+ may be replaced by a RE.sup.3+ and a metal element in a monovalent state (M.sup.1+). The metal element used for electronic charge balance may have a single valance state, rather than a plurality of valence states, to help reduce the likelihood that the valance state would change during formation of the scintillation compound.

A scintillation compound can include a rare earth element that is in a divalent (RE.sup.2+) or a tetravalent state (RE.sup.4+). The scintillation compound can include another element to allow for better change balance. The other element may be a principal constituent of the scintillation compound or may be a dopant or a co-dopant. In an embodiment, a metal element in a trivalent state (M.sup.3+) may be replaced by RE.sup.4+ and a metal element in a divalent state (M.sup.2+). In another embodiment, M.sup.3+ may be replaced by RE.sup.2+ and M.sup.4+. In a further embodiment, M.sup.2+ may be replaced by a RE.sup.3+ and a metal element in a monovalent state (M.sup.1+). The metal element used for electronic charge balance may have a single valance state, rather than a plurality of valence states, to help reduce the likelihood that the valance state would change during formation of the scintillation compound.

A scintillation compound can include a rare earth element that is in a divalent (RE.sup.2+) or a tetravalent state (RE.sup.4+). The scintillation compound can include another element to allow for better change balance. The other element may be a principal constituent of the scintillation compound or may be a dopant or a co-dopant. In an embodiment, a metal element in a trivalent state (M.sup.3+) may be replaced by RE.sup.4+ and a metal element in a divalent state (M.sup.2+). In another embodiment, M.sup.3+ may be replaced by RE.sup.2+ and M.sup.4+. In a further embodiment, M.sup.2+ may be replaced by a RE.sup.3+ and a metal element in a monovalent state (M.sup.1+). The metal element used for electronic charge balance may have a single valance state, rather than a plurality of valence states, to help reduce the likelihood that the valance state would change during formation of the scintillation compound.