Reduction of light output of plastic scintillator tiles during irradiation at cold temperatures and in low-oxygen environments

TL;DR

This study investigates how plastic scintillator tiles' light output diminishes during irradiation at cold temperatures and low-oxygen environments, relevant for high-energy physics detectors operating under such conditions.

Contribution

It provides experimental data on radiation damage effects on plastic scintillators at low temperatures and in low-oxygen atmospheres, including the impact of wrapping materials and temperature on light output loss.

Findings

Substantial temporary damage during low-temperature irradiation that annealed upon warming.

Wrapping material affects the magnitude of light loss, with reflective wrapping causing larger initial loss but higher final light output.

Lower temperatures increase light loss; oxygen concentration has minimal effect.

Abstract

The advent of the silicon photomultiplier has allowed the development of highly segmented calorimeters using plastic scintillator as the active media, with photodetectors embedded in the calorimeter, in dimples in the plastic. To reduce the photodetector's dark current and radiation damage, the high granularity calorimeter designed for the high luminosity upgrade of the CMS detector at CERN's Large Hadron Collider will be operated at a temperature of about -30$^\circ$C. Due to flammability considerations, a low oxygen environment is being considered. However, the radiation damage to the plastic scintillator during irradiation in this operating environment needs to be considered. In this paper, we present measurements of the relative decrease of light output during irradiation of small plastic scintillator tiles read out by silicon photomultipliers. The irradiations were performed using a $^{60}\mathrm{Co}$ source both to produce the tiles' light and as a source of ionizing irradiation at dose rates of 0.3, 1.3, and $1.6\,$Gy/hr, temperatures of -30, -15, -5, and 0$^\circ$C, and with several different oxygen concentrations in the surrounding atmosphere. The effect of the material used to wrap the tile was also studied. Substantial temporary damage, which annealed when the sample was warmed, was seen during the low-temperature irradiations, regardless of the oxygen concentration and wrapping material. The relative light loss was largest with 3M$^{\tiny \textrm{TM}}$ Enhanced Specular Reflector Film wrapping and smallest with no wrapping, although due to the substantially higher light yield with wrapping, the final light output is largest with wrapping. The light loss was less at warmer temperatures. Damage with $3\%$ oxygen was similar to that in standard atmosphere. Evidence of a plateau in the radical density was seen for the 0$^\circ$C data.