WLS R\&D for the Detection of Noble Gas Scintillation at LBL: seeing the light from neutrinos, to dark matter, to double beta decay

TL;DR

This paper reviews LBL's R&D efforts on noble gas detectors, focusing on scintillation light collection techniques for neutrino, dark matter, and double beta decay experiments, including measurements and prototype development.

Contribution

It provides new insights into wavelength shifting materials and VUV light guide prototypes tailored for large-scale noble gas detectors.

Findings

Wavelength shifting films exhibit specific fluorescence behaviors.

VUV sensitive light guides can be effectively prototyped for large detectors.

The R&D advances support improved detection of noble gas scintillation light.

Abstract

Radiation detectors with noble gasses as the active medium are becoming increasingly common in experimental programs searching for physics beyond the standard model. Nearly all of these experiments rely to some degree on collecting scintillation light from noble gasses. The VUV wavelengths associated with noble gas scintillation mean that most of these experiments use a fluorescent material to shift the direct scintillation light into the visible or near UV band. We present an overview of the R&D program at LBL related to noble gas detectors for neutrino physics, double beta decay, and dark matter. This program ranges from precise measurements of the fluorescence behavior of wavelength shifting films, to the prototyping of large are VUV sensitive light guides for multi-kiloton detectors.