A scintillator-based imaging screen technology that is sensitive to neutral and charged particles is disclosed. These teachings improve the temporal and spatial resolution limitations of the screens currently used in static and dynamic neutron detection and imaging, neutron tomography, and other advanced neutron imaging equipment used to study materials, such as neutron reflectometers and diffractometers.

A scintillator-based imaging screen technology that is sensitive to neutral and charged particles is disclosed. These teachings improve the temporal and spatial resolution limitations of the screens currently used in static and dynamic neutron detection and imaging, neutron tomography, and other advanced neutron imaging equipment used to study materials, such as neutron reflectometers and diffractometers.

A nuclear radiation monitoring apparatus comprising: communication circuitry configured to receive nuclear radiation data generated by a nuclear radiation detector, the nuclear radiation data being indicative of nuclear radiation emitted from each of a plurality of portions of an object and detected by the nuclear radiation detector; classification circuitry configured to classify the detected nuclear radiation using the nuclear radiation data; intensity determination circuitry configured to determine a value of an intensity parameter indicative of an intensity of the classified nuclear radiation for each portion of the object using the nuclear radiation data; visualisation data generation circuitry configured to generate visualisation data indicative of the classification of the classified nuclear radiation and, for each portion of the object, visualisation data indicative of the portion of the object and the determined intensity parameter value of the portion of the object; and display output circuitry configured to output the generated visualisation data for display.

A nuclear radiation monitoring apparatus comprising: communication circuitry configured to receive nuclear radiation data generated by a nuclear radiation detector, the nuclear radiation data being indicative of nuclear radiation emitted from each of a plurality of portions of an object and detected by the nuclear radiation detector; classification circuitry configured to classify the detected nuclear radiation using the nuclear radiation data; intensity determination circuitry configured to determine a value of an intensity parameter indicative of an intensity of the classified nuclear radiation for each portion of the object using the nuclear radiation data; visualisation data generation circuitry configured to generate visualisation data indicative of the classification of the classified nuclear radiation and, for each portion of the object, visualisation data indicative of the portion of the object and the determined intensity parameter value of the portion of the object; and display output circuitry configured to output the generated visualisation data for display.

A gamma-ray spectrum classification apparatus, comprising circuitry configured: to provide a denoising autoencoder to receive gamma-ray spectrum data representing a gamma-ray spectrum of a material to be classified and to determine feature data indicative of one or more features representative of the gamma-ray spectrum data; and to provide a classification neural network to receive the feature data and to classify the material to be classified as one of a plurality of predetermined classifications using the feature data.

An optical material includes, in mol.%: 50-75% SiO.sub.2, 5-25% Al.sub.2O.sub.3, 2.5-25% MgO, and 1-15% at least one lanthanoid, such that the at least one lanthanoid includes: La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, or oxides or fluorides thereof. An optical material includes at least one lanthanoid and at least one alkaline earth fluoride dopant, such that the at least one lanthanoid includes: La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, or oxides or fluorides thereof, and such that the at least one alkaline earth fluoride dopant comprises BeF.sub.2, MgF.sub.2, CaF.sub.2, SrF.sub.2, and BaF.sub.2.

An optical material includes, in mol.%: 50-75% SiO.sub.2, 5-25% Al.sub.2O.sub.3, 2.5-25% MgO, and 1-15% at least one lanthanoid, such that the at least one lanthanoid includes: La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, or oxides or fluorides thereof. An optical material includes at least one lanthanoid and at least one alkaline earth fluoride dopant, such that the at least one lanthanoid includes: La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, or oxides or fluorides thereof, and such that the at least one alkaline earth fluoride dopant comprises BeF.sub.2, MgF.sub.2, CaF.sub.2, SrF.sub.2, and BaF.sub.2.

Scintillators that can support up to 20 MHz count rates, which is significantly faster than the required 100K counts/second needed for single crystal diffractometers and methods for fabricating them.

Scintillators that can support up to 20 MHz count rates, which is significantly faster than the required 100K counts/second needed for single crystal diffractometers and methods for fabricating them.

Eutectic lithium chloride-cerium chloride (LiCl—CeCl.sub.3) compositions are described. An exemplary eutectic composition has about 75 mole % LiCl and about 25 mole % CeCl.sub.3. The eutectic compositions can have optical and/or scintillation properties. Also described are methods of preparing the eutectic compositions as well as methods of using radiation detectors including the eutectic compositions in the detection of radiation, including thermal neutrons.