Characterization of Hamamatsu R11410-23 Photomultiplier Tubes and Performance in the PandaX-4T Detector

TL;DR

This paper thoroughly characterizes Hamamatsu R11410-23 PMTs and evaluates their performance in the PandaX-4T liquid xenon detector, focusing on parameters like gain, dark count rate, and stability at cryogenic temperatures.

Contribution

It provides detailed measurements and testing procedures for PMTs in cryogenic conditions, ensuring their suitability for dark matter detection experiments.

Findings

Most PMTs operated reliably during the commissioning run.

Measured parameters meet experimental requirements.

Long-term stability of PMTs was confirmed.

Abstract

The PandaX-4T liquid xenon detector uses Hamamatsu 3-inch R11410-23 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) as the light sensors for ultra-low radioactivity, high quantum efficiency, and long-term stability at cryogenic temperature. Each PMT was thoroughly tested in a dedicated chamber before being installed in the detector to ensure compliance with experimental requirements. Main PMT characteristics, including gain, dark count rate, and after-pulse probability, were measured and the distributions of these parameters were presented. Additionally, all PMTs were tested in a cryogenic environment to simulate their operating conditions in an actual detector environment. Finally, we report the long-term of all PMTs during the commissioning run of the PandaX-4T experiment, and most of the PMTs worded well.