Precise measurement of the scintillation decay constant of ZnWO₄ crystal

The scintillation decay time constant of a ZnWO$_4$ crystal irradiated with $\alpha$-particles from $^{241}$Am was precisely investigated, and was found to depend on the incident direction of the $\alpha$-particles on the crystal. The longest decay time constant ($24.3\pm0.6~\mu$s) was obtained on the surface perpendicular to the b-axis of the crystal (Surface B). On Surfaces A and C, the decay constants were $20.0$ and $21.3\pm0.2~\mu$s, respectively. The scintillation yield of the ZnWO$_4$ was also anisotropic and depended on the incident direction of the heavy particles. The maximum yield was achieved on surface B, suggesting a correlation between the light yield and scintillation decay time constant of ZnWO$_4$ crystals.