Electromagnetic calorimeters based on PbWO4 scintillating crystals have a widespread
application in experiments at different accelerator facilities such as CERN, FNAL, GSI,
and Jefferson Lab. The unique properties of PbWO4 crystals, including a small
radiation length and Molière radius, make them ideal for building high-granularity,
radiation-hard detectors. This enables excellent spatial separation and energy resolution
of reconstructed electromagnetic showers, making PbWO4 crystals the material of choice for
numerous experiments. Lead tungstate calorimeters have been successfully used in several
experiments at Jefferson Lab. Two large-scale detectors have been recently fabricated for
future experiments : the Neutral Particle Spectrometer and the lead tungstate calorimeter of the
GlueX detector. The future application of PbWO4 crystals in the Electron–Ion Collider
further highlights their ongoing importance in advancing experimental capabilities. In planning
new experiments, the development of calorimeter instrumentation technologies becomes paramount.
The integration of modern photodetectors, such as Silicon photomultipliers that are capable of operating
in strong magnetic fields, and the implementation of streaming readout data acquisition systems, sophisticated
shower reconstruction algorithms, and real-time data analysis are some examples of the continuously
growing requirements of experimental setups. I will give an overview of the lead tungstate scintillating
calorimeters and discuss some recent advancement in the calorimeter instrumentation.