Scintillators Exposed to Air, 36-hour Timelapse

Scintillators are crystals that glow when struck by radiation, and can be used to measure the energies of gamma and x-rays. This video is a time lapse comparison of three scintillators: Sodium Iodide, Cesium Hafnium Chloride and Strontium Iodide exposed to air over 36 hours. Sodium Iodide and Strontium Iodide are hygroscopic, meaning they react with the moisture in the air. Cesium Hafnium Chloride is clearly more resistant to this effect. This video was produced by Dr. Burger's Group at Fisk University. Dr. Emmanuel Rowe is researching Cesium Hafnium Chloride (video provided by Dr. Rowe with permission to share on YouTube). Kristle Morales Figueroa provided some of the images, and the clip was produced and edited by Vladimir Buliga.