The present application discloses methods and devices for increasing the light output of a scintillator. Using the methods of the present disclosure, a very high intensity electric field is applied to a scintillator exposed to ionizing radiation and provides light outputs that far exceeds those previously obtained in the art. The light output gains are very high, on the order of 10 to 100 times those obtained with prior methods, and will make it possible to achieve sufficient brightness to enable the use of a cathode ray tube or a field emission display in new devices. In the field of x-ray imaging, a bright scintillator will have tremendous potential in many important applications, such as computed tomography (CT), SPECT, diagnostic digital radiology, and the like.