Using Exotic Luminescent Materials to Monitor Radiation Exposure in Space

In 1951, Birks and Black showed experimentally that the fluorescence efficiency of anthracene bombarded by alphas varies with total fluence. Since 1990, we have found that the Birks and Black relation describes the reduction in emission yield for every tested luminescent material except lead phosphate glass due to proton irradiation. A few years ago, the 3 MeV half brightness fluence for exotic materials like EuD4TEA was measured to be about 3 x 1010 mm-2. Conversely, ZnS:Mn compounds were found to have equivalent half brightness values that are about one thousand times larger. Based on these measurements, EuD4TEA might be a candidate sensor material to monitor large-scale solar events for astronauts in vehicles flying in near earth space. The purpose of this presentation is to show results from our research on exotic EuD4TEA and its use as a radiation sensor for the CAPE-3 1U CubeSat that will launch in the near future.