Development of New Materials for Radiation Detection, LLNL

Development of New Materials for Radiation Detection

NataliaZaitseva-LLNL

Dr. Natalia Zaitseva

Ph.D.Physics and Mathematics, Lomonosov Moscow State University
M.Sc.Physical Chemistry, Mendeleev Institute of Chemical Technology, Moscow Russia

Research Interests

The research that the Zaitseva group has been focusing on involves the study of the growth mechanisms and physical properties of single crystals grown from low-temperature solutions. The main focus of current studies has been concentrated on synthesis and applications of new organic materials (crystals and plastics) for detection and discrimination of different types of radiation. Previous work included development of methods for accelerated crystal growth for production of uniquely large crystals for the world largest laser, National Ignition Facility (NIF).

If the student is considering a summer internship, the student should have a background in chemistry. In addition, there might be an opportunity for a long-term graduate student with a background in both radiation detection and chemistry. Some the projects that the Zaitseva group is pursuing are:

  1. Science-Guided Scintillator Discovery
  2. Boron-loaded plastic scintillators with efficient PSD
  3. Large-scale solid-state organic scintillators for fission neutron detection

The summer student would work on synthesis and characterization of different materials (liquids, crystals, and plastics) used for applications in radiation detection. The main focus of the work will be concentrated on studies of pulse shape discrimination (PSD) phenomena that enable efficient detection and signal discrimination between different types of radiation.