Measurement of the dependence of the light yields of linear alkylbenzene-based and EJ-301 scintillators on electron energy

TL;DR

This study experimentally examined the light yield linearity of two scintillators, SNO+ and EJ-301, across electron energies from 0.09 to 3 MeV, revealing non-linearity below approximately 0.4 MeV due to Cherenkov light effects.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed measurement of scintillator light yield dependence on electron energy in the specified range, highlighting non-linearity at low energies.

Findings

Both scintillators exhibit non-linearity below ~0.4 MeV.

Cherenkov light absorption and re-emission explain the non-linearity.

The apparatus linearity was explicitly validated.

Abstract

An experimental test of the electron energy scale linearities of SNO+ and EJ-301 scintillators was carried out using a Compton spectrometer with electrons in the energy range 0.09-3 MeV. The linearity of the apparatus was explicitly demonstrated. It was found that the response of both types of scintillators with respect to electrons becomes non-linear below ~0.4 MeV. An explanation is given in terms of Cherenkov light absorption and re-emission by the scintillators.