Characterization and Modeling of a Water-based Liquid Scintillator

TL;DR

This paper characterizes Water-based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS) using spectroscopy and develops a simulation model to understand its behavior in detector configurations, aiding future high-energy physics experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive characterization and a validated simulation model for WbLS, enhancing understanding of its light yield and quenching properties for detector applications.

Findings

Estimated light yield and ionisation quenching of WbLS.

Demonstrated influence of wavelength shifting on measurements.

Validated simulation model for different proton energies and compositions.

Abstract

We have characterised Water-based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS) using low energy protons, UV-VIS absorbance, and fluorescence spectroscopy. We have also developed and validated a simulation model that describes the behaviour of WbLS in our detector configurations for proton beam energies of 2 GeV, 475 MeV, and 210 MeV and for two WbLS compositions. Our results have enabled us to estimate the light yield and ionisation quenching of WbLS, as well as to understand the influence of the wavelength shifting of Cerenkov light on our measurements. These results are relevant to the suitability of water-based liquid scintillator materials for next generation intensity frontier experiments.