Scintillation (physics)
In condensed matter physics, scintillation ( SIN-til-ay-shun)—also termed radioluminescence—is the physical process where a material, called a scintillator, emits ultraviolet or visible light under excitation from high energy photons (X-rays or gamma rays) or energetic particles (such as electrons, alpha particles, neutrons, or ions). == Overview == Scintillation is an example of luminescence, whereby light of a characteristic spectrum is emitted following the absorption of radiation.