Optimized scintillation strip design for the DANSS upgrade

TL;DR

This paper presents an improved scintillation strip design for the DANSS detector, aiming to enhance energy resolution to 12% at 1 MeV, through prototype testing that shows significant performance gains over the current design.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new scintillation strip design with higher light output and uniformity, validated through beam tests, to improve the DANSS detector's energy resolution.

Findings

Over twice higher light output in prototypes

Improved detector response uniformity

Successful beam test validation

Abstract

DANSS is a one cubic meter plastic scintillator detector with a primary goal of the sterile neutrino searches at a commercial nuclear reactor. Due to its highly advantageous location, fine segmentation and ability to change the distance to the neutrino production origin DANSS is ahead of many similar experiments around the world in terms of the counting rate, signal to background ratio and sterile neutrino exclusion regions. Yet a moderate energy resolution of the detector prevents the further progress in the physics program. The main challenge of the planned upgrade is to achieve the energy resolution of 12% at 1 MeV. The new design of the main sensitive element - the plastic scintillation strip - is the most important step forward. The strip prototypes were manufactured and tested at the pion beam of the PNPI synchrocyclotron. More than twice higher light output together with fairly flat detector response uniformity, longitudinal timing information and other optimizations will surely help to reach the upgrade goal. The paper discusses the drawbacks of the current strip version, outlines the new features of the proposed upgrade, describes the beam test procedure and presents the test results reflecting the advantages of the new strip design in comparison with the currently used version.