On the anomalous afterglow seen in a chameleon afterglow search

TL;DR

This paper investigates an unexpected orange afterglow observed in a chameleon search experiment, analyzing its properties and potential contamination sources, which could affect future low-light experiments.

Contribution

It provides detailed characterization of the anomalous afterglow and discusses its implications for the design of future experiments involving sensitive photon detection.

Findings

The afterglow is similar to luminescence in vacuum compounds.

The glow's properties depend on temperature and experimental conditions.

Contamination from luminescent sources can impact experimental results.

Abstract

We present data from our investigation of the anomalous orange-colored afterglow that was seen in the GammeV Chameleon Afterglow Search (CHASE). These data includes information about the broad band color of the observed glow, the relationship between the glow and the temperature of the apparatus, and other data taken prior to and during the science operations of CHASE. While differing in several details, the generic properties of the afterglow from CHASE are similar to luminescence seen in some vacuum compounds. Contamination from this, or similar, luminescent signatures will likely impact the design of implementation of future experiments involving single photon detectors and high intensity light sources in a cryogenic environment.