A compact, high-intensity pulsed soft X-ray system has been used to study the response characteristics of a plastic scintillation phosphor (NE-102). In particular, the decay characteristics of this phosphor plated on one surface with a thin (<1000 Å) layer of aluminum were investigated. Although, absolute calibration of the X-ray source had not been performed, estimates of X-ray scintillation efficiency were obtained, using two separate methods, which were in agreement to within a factor of two.

The primary purpose of this cursory program was to establish the validity of transferring calibration data from plated to unplated NE-102 scintillators employed in a photometric recording system. The results of the ensuing investigation indicated the equivalence of the two, but revealed several interesting and unsuspected phenomena. These were (1) an apparent scintillation light reflectance component of zero from the plated aluminum “mirror” surface, (2) a change in pulse waveform from electron beam input to scintillation light output, and (3) a 90-nsec delay between electron beam and photomultiplier signals. The methods employed in obtaining and verifying these data are subject to errors from uncertainty in the characteristics of several components employed in the experimental setup. These uncertainties and other measurement errors caused independent estimates of the external scintillation light efficiency to range from 0.1 to 0.2 %.

Other potential applications of a pulsed soft X-ray system to measurement problems in industry and research include dynamic studies in the fields of X-ray crystallography, instrumental methods of materials analysis, and radiography of low-density subjects.