Radioluminescent glass and fibers for neutron detection

Abstract

Modern advances in high-energy physics have established neutrons as essential probes in scientific research, enabling breakthroughs from high-energy physics, industrial manufacturing, material innovation to heritage conservation, medical diagnostics, and geological prospecting. The diminishing supply of ³He gas detectors grows the demand for cost-efficient alternative neutron detecting materials. Solid-state glass scintillators demonstrate particular promise due to their low cost, scalable production, and shape adaptability. However, detection efficiency improvements remain challenging due to structural complexity in glass systems. This review outlines neutron detection mechanisms and critical performance benchmarks before evaluate recent advances in glass scintillator development. Focused on activator engineering and matrix optimization, we assess current progress and existing challenges in scintillator performance. We further discuss innovations in glass fiber device architectures and their emerging applications in neutron imaging.The article concludes with prospects for future research, emphasizing mechanism theory, material engineering, efficiency optimization , and advanced fiber-based detector systems.