Plastic-based gamma-ray detector materials such as polyvinyl toluene (PVT) occasionally suffer from loss of optical light transmission due to internal defects or “fogging” when exposed to some environmental conditions over time. Fogging results in reduced scintillation light propagated to the photomultiplier tube for collection. Investigations of the physical cause of these defects and their associated environmental conditions are ongoing. The goal of this article was to characterize the signs and effects of fogging over a simulated 22-year lifespan of the PVT in outdoor environments. Two potential mitigation methods were also evaluated, and one successfully mitigated the phenomena.

中文翻译：

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聚乙烯基甲苯基闪烁体中雾化和降解的开始

塑料基伽马射线探测器材料，例如聚乙烯甲苯 (PVT)，在暴露于某些环境条件下时，有时会由于内部缺陷或“雾化”而导致光传输损失。雾化导致传播到光电倍增管进行收集的闪烁光减少。对这些缺陷的物理原因及其相关环境条件的调查正在进行中。本文的目的是描述室外环境中 PVT 模拟 22 年使用寿命期间起雾的迹象和影响。还评估了两种潜在的缓解方法，一种成功地缓解了这种现象。