Rayleigh scattering of linear alkylbenzene in large liquid scintillator detectors

TL;DR

This paper investigates Rayleigh scattering in linear alkylbenzene (LAB), revealing its anisotropic nature and shorter scattering length, which enhances photon transmission and improves energy resolution in liquid scintillator neutrino detectors.

Contribution

It provides new measurements of the anisotropic Rayleigh scattering length in LAB, crucial for optimizing large liquid scintillator detector performance.

Findings

Rayleigh scattering length in LAB is shorter than previously reported.

Anisotropy significantly affects photon transmission in scintillators.

Enhanced photon transmission improves detector energy resolution.

Abstract

Rayleigh scattering poses an intrinsic limit for the transparency of organic liquid scintillators. This work focuses on the Rayleigh scattering length of linear alkylbenzene (LAB), which will be used as the solvent of the liquid scintillator in the central detector of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory. We investigate the anisotropy of the Rayleigh scattering in LAB, showing that the resulting Rayleigh scattering length will be significantly shorter than reported before. Given the same overall light attenuation, this will result in a more efficient transmission of photons through the scintillator, increasing the amount of light collected by the photosensors and thereby the energy resolution of the detector.