Scintillation properties of solution-grown trans-stilbene single crystals

The scintillation properties of trans-stilbene crystals grown for the first time by application of the solution growth technique to the scale of 10 cm are reported. Measurements of the scintillation light output, pulse shape discrimination, and neutron detection efficiency were made with sets of crystals cut as 50 cm diameter cylinders of different lengths from 0.3 to 10 cm. Comparison to liquid scintillators and traditional melt-grown stilbene showed that at increasing sizes new solution-grown crystals exhibit better scintillation performance that makes them promising for use in large scale neutron detectors. Results are discussed in relation to structural imperfections attributed to different methods of growth.