Crystal Scintillator as Radiation Detector

Dear Colleagues,

Crystal scintillators play a central role in radiation detection across a wide range of applications, from fundamental research in nuclear, particle, and astroparticle physics to medical imaging and environmental monitoring. Continuous advances in crystal growth techniques, material purification, and detector integration have significantly improved the performance of scintillators in terms of light yield, energy resolution, timing response, and radiopurity.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent progress in the development, characterization, and application of crystal scintillators as radiation detectors. Contributions are invited on both established and emerging scintillating materials, including alkali halides, tungstates, molybdates, perovskites, and novel compound crystals. Topics of interest include crystal growth and defect control, luminescence mechanisms, scintillation and optical properties, radiation hardness, and low-background material selection.

This Special Issue also welcomes studies on detector concepts and experimental techniques, such as coupling to photosensors, cryogenic operation, and hybrid scintillating–bolometric approaches. Applications ranging from rare-event searches and high-energy physics experiments to medical diagnostics and industrial inspection are particularly encouraged. This Special Issue underlines the multidisciplinary nature of scintillating crystal research, combining advances in materials science with detector physics to promote innovation in radiation detection technologies.

Dr. Riccardo Cerulli
Guest Editor

Dr. Alice Leoncini
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.