{"id":104405,"date":"2026-09-23T11:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T09:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/?p=104405"},"modified":"2026-09-23T13:17:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T11:17:18","slug":"lukasiewicz-port-scientists-explore-light-matter-interactions-in-scintillators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/lukasiewicz-port-scientists-explore-light-matter-interactions-in-scintillators\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT Scientists Explore Light\u2013Matter Interactions in Scintillators"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In a new approach to scintillation, scientists are looking beyond the composition and intrinsic properties of the material to examine its surrounding environment and the way it interacts with light. Dr. Dominik Kowal and Dr. Micha\u0142 Makowski of the Photonic Materials Research Group<\/a> are investigating these phenomena at the nanoscale, at the intersection of photonics, plasmonics, and materials engineering. Their work could open up new possibilities for designing more efficient scintillators with precisely controlled properties.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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From Material Composition to Designing Its Environment<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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For years, scintillator research focused primarily on finding new chemical compositions, synthesis methods, and ways to produce ever better crystals\u2014materials capable of efficiently absorbing ionizing radiation and then emitting light rapidly and intensely. As Dr. Dominik Kowal<\/strong> explains, however, this approach faces limitations imposed by the properties of the material itself. In the search for new ways to improve scintillation performance, scientists are therefore increasingly turning to the nanoscale. This makes it possible to bring quantum effects and light\u2013matter interactions to the forefront.<\/p>

\u201cThis is an entirely new field of research, rooted in photonics and plasmonics, while also overlapping with the physical chemistry of these materials,\u201d<\/strong> says Dr. Kowal. <\/p>

One of the key directions of his research is controlling the emitter\u2019s immediate environment. The same nanoscintillator can behave differently when isolated than when placed near carefully designed plasmonic nanostructures. Among the properties that can change are the rate and intensity of its emission.The nanoscale offers particularly interesting opportunities. When an emitter is only a few nanometers in size, quantum effects become pronounced, and its properties can differ significantly from those of a bulk crystal.<\/p>

\u201cAt the nanoscale, properly matching the dimensions of the individual components is also important because it strengthens their mutual interaction,\u201d Dr. Kowal explains.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Nanostructures and Light\u2013Matter Interactions<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Dr. Micha\u0142 Makowski<\/strong> is pursuing this approach experimentally. In earlier studies, the team showed that combining a nanoscintillator with silver nanocubes can modify its emission. The next step was to determine whether this effect could be enhanced even further. The researchers varied the size of the silver nanocubes while also introducing a different type of emitter with more strongly directional emission. The goal was not only to increase the amount of emitted light, but also to gain greater control over how that light is emitted. As a result, the researchers were able to move from the weak- to the strong-coupling regime of light\u2013matter interaction.<\/p>

\u201cThe Purcell effect operates in the weak light\u2013matter coupling regime. You could say that the emitter and the nanoparticle \u2018see\u2019 each other, but they are like two people sitting on opposite sides of a table\u2014they can wave to each other. If we modify both the emitter and the nanoparticle appropriately, however, that table starts to get smaller. At some point, we can shake hands. That is when we move into the strong light\u2013matter coupling regime,\u201d Dr. Micha\u0142 Makowski explains.<\/p>

In the strong-coupling regime, the situation changes qualitatively. It is no longer simply a matter of faster or more intense emission. New hybrid states\u2014polaritons\u2014are formed, and the emission spectrum itself also changes. This gives researchers an additional way to control the properties of the system. Tailoring the spectral characteristics of the emission could, for example, help match a scintillator more effectively to a particular detector whose sensitivity depends on the wavelength of light.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Dr. Micha\u0142 Makowski<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Strong Light\u2013Matter Coupling in Scintillators<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Of particular significance is the fact that the effect was achieved under high-energy radiation excitation. As Dr. Micha\u0142 Makowski points out, this is the first such observation. At the same time, it raises the question of whether the mechanism of strong coupling operates in the same way under these conditions as it does under conventional optical excitation.The team does not yet have enough data to answer that question conclusively. Determining the answer has now become one of the next research challenges and a direction for further study.<\/p>

\u201cThis may indicate that we are touching on a new branch of physics,\u201d says Dr. Makowski.
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New Opportunities in Imaging and Radiation Detection<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The research also has application potential. One possible direction is the development of imaging systems that use high-energy radiation. More efficient and faster scintillators could eventually enable more detailed imaging in positron emission tomography (PET) and X-ray diagnostics. Greater detection sensitivity could also make it possible to obtain useful images at lower radiation doses.<\/p>

Other possibilities arise from controlling the emission spectrum and decay time. Not all applications of the effects observed today are yet known, but the ability to control additional scintillation parameters opens the way to developing new types of detectors, imaging methods, and technologies based on high-energy radiation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Researchers from the Photonic Materials Research Group conduct part of their work in \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT\u2019s clean room laboratory<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Nanophotonics at \u0141ukasiewicz \u2013 PORT<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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This type of research brings together expertise in chemistry, materials engineering, nanotechnology, and photonics. At the Wroc\u0142aw-based institute, scientists can produce nanoparticles using chemical synthesis methods, combine them with nanoscintillators to form composites, and fabricate ordered structures using lithographic techniques.
The researchers also present their findings and emerging research directions in leading scientific journals.<\/p>

Dr. Dominik Kowal, together with Prof. Charles Roques-Carmes of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and Prof. Liang Jie Wong of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, co-authored the review article \u201cQuantum and Nanophotonic Perspectives on Light\u2013Matter Interaction in Scintillation<\/a>,\u201d published in Energy Material Advances. The review organizes the current state of knowledge on the use of quantum phenomena and nanophotonics in scintillation and identifies possible directions for the field\u2019s future development.<\/p>

Dr. Micha\u0142 Makowski is the first author of \u201cStrong Coupling in Bulk Nanoplasmonic Nanoplatelet Perovskite Scintillators<\/a>,\u201d published in Advanced Materials. The authors present experimental results on nanoplasmonic perovskite scintillators and strong light\u2013matter coupling.<\/p>

The two publications highlight complementary aspects of research carried out by the Photonic Materials Research Group: a broader perspective on the development of scintillation through quantum phenomena and nanophotonics, and experimental efforts to find new ways of controlling light\u2013matter interactions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recent research on scintillation is expanding beyond material composition to include the role of the nanoscale environment in light\u2013matter interactions. Dr. Dominik Kowal and Dr. Micha\u0142 Makowski of the Photonic Materials Research Group are investigating these effects to develop more efficient scintillators with greater control over their properties. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":104404,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[204],"tags":[690,796],"class_list":["post-104405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-researches","tag-successes"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-30 13:39:36","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104405"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104445,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104405\/revisions\/104445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/port.lukasiewicz.gov.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}