SCINTILLATION LIGHT TRAPPING AND RADIATION-DAMAGE IN CEF(3)

In this paper we review solved and some of remaining problems in devel opment of CeF3 scintillator. CeF3 emerges as a dense (6.16 g/cc), fast (23 ns), and reasonably efficient (2400 photons/MeV) material with po tential applications in high energy and nuclear physics experiments. D espite significant progress in technology the level of uncontrolled im purities and defects in present crystals is still too high, posing pro blems like scintillation light trapping and radiation damage. We specu late about the possibility of electron self-trapping and nonradiative recombination at Ce sites leading to limited light output and intrinsi c radiation hardness of CeF3.