# A Low Mass Optical Grid for the PROSPECT Reactor Antineutrino Detector

## TL;DR

This paper details the design, fabrication, and characterization of the optical grid subsystem for the PROSPECT reactor antineutrino detector, crucial for accurate event reconstruction in neutrino measurements.

## Contribution

It provides a comprehensive technical reference for the optical grid's design, assembly, and characterization, informing future detector development and physics analysis.

## Key findings

- Optical grid components characterized for optical and mechanical properties.
- Assembly procedures and quality assurance processes documented.
- Data supports improved event reconstruction accuracy.

## Abstract

PROSPECT, the Precision Reactor Oscillation and SPECTrum experiment, is a short-baseline reactor antineutrino experiment designed to provide precision measurements of the $^{235}$U product $\overline{\nu}_e$ spectrum of utilizing an optically segmented 4-ton liquid scintillator detector. PROSPECT's segmentation system, the optical grid, plays a central role in reconstructing the position and energy of $\overline{\nu}_e$ interactions in the detector. This paper is the technical reference for this PROSPECT subsystem, describing its design, fabrication, quality assurance, transportation and assembly in detail. In addition, the dimensional, optical and mechanical characterizations of optical grid components and the assembled PROSPECT target are also presented. The technical information and characterizations detailed here will inform geometry-related inputs for PROSPECT physics analysis, and can guide a variety of future particle detection development efforts, such as those using optically reflecting materials or filament-based 3D printing.