What is the atomic number (Z) of GSO scintillators?

GSO scintillators, which stand for Gadolinium Orthosilicate, primarily consist of the compound Gd2SiO5. The atomic number of an element refers to the number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom of that element. In this case, Gadolinium (Gd) is the relevant element in GSO scintillators.

Gadolinium has an atomic number of 64, which is not among the choices, but the correct choice here refers to the atomic number associated with the compound elements used in the structure of GSO scintillators. The correct understanding and consideration must focus on the relevant materials involved, where Gadolinium is the primary component contributing to the scintillation properties.

The atomic number of 59 corresponds to the element Praseodymium, which does not pertain to GSO scintillators. Therefore, while the number provided is related to the scintillator's components, what might be confusing is the misinterpretation of atomic numbers in context. The emphasis should be placed on knowing GSO scintillator primarily includes Gadolinium, which is critical for understanding its properties and in clinical applications in PET imaging.

Thus, recognizing the role of Gadolinium and its