MuonSLab: A plastic scintillator based detector for muon measurement in the deep ocean

TL;DR

MuonSLab is a newly developed detector using plastic scintillators and SiPMs to measure muon flux in the deep ocean, aiding cosmic ray research and neutrino experiments.

Contribution

Introduction of MuonSLab, a novel deep-sea muon detector with design, instrumentation, and validation through flux measurements.

Findings

Demonstrated sensitivity to muon detection

Proven operational stability across locations

Potential for extended atmospheric muon studies

Abstract

Atmospheric muons are important probes for studying primary cosmic rays and extensive air showers. Additionally, they constitute a significant background for many underground and deep-sea neutrino experiments, such as TRopIcal DEep-sea Neutrino Telescope (TRIDENT). Understanding the muon flux at various depths in the deep sea is essential for validating TRIDENT simulations and guiding the development of optimized trigger strategies. This paper introduces a novel device based on plastic scintillalors and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) named MuonSLab, which is designed to measure muon flux in the deep sea and has the potential to be extended to other atmospheric muon property measurements. We discuss the design and instrumentation of MuonSLab and present results from several muon flux measurements, demonstrating its sensitivity to muon detection and its stability during operations across multiple locations.