The X-ARAPUCA: An improvement of the ARAPUCA device

TL;DR

The paper introduces the X-ARAPUCA, an improved photon detection device for liquid argon scintillation light, enhancing collection efficiency through a novel design and validated by simulations.

Contribution

It presents the X-ARAPUCA design, an advancement over the original ARAPUCA, with detailed performance analysis using analytical and Monte Carlo methods.

Findings

X-ARAPUCA shows increased photon collection efficiency.

Simulation results demonstrate performance improvements over standard ARAPUCA.

The design maintains the original photon trapping concept with added enhancements.

Abstract

The ARAPUCA is a novel technology for the detection of liquid argon scintillation light, which has been proposed for the far detector of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. The X-ARAPUCA is an improvement to the original ARAPUCA design, retaining the original ARAPUCA concept of photon trapping inside a highly reflective box while using a wavelength shifting slab inside the box to increase the probability of collecting trapped photons onto a silicon photomultiplier array. The X-ARAPUCA concept is presented and its performances are compared to those of a standard ARAPUCA by means of analytical calculations and Monte Carlo simulations.