Liquid Helium and Liquid Neon - Sensitive, Low Background Scintillation Media For the Detection of Low Energy Neutrinos

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of liquid helium and neon as low-background scintillation media for real-time solar neutrino detection, emphasizing their high ultraviolet scintillation yields and low impurities.

Contribution

It demonstrates that liquid helium and neon can be effectively used for neutrino-electron scattering detection with efficient wavelength shifting and room temperature photomultiplier readout.

Findings

Liquid helium and neon produce large ultraviolet scintillation yields.

They are transparent to their own scintillation light.

A 10-ton detector could monitor solar neutrino flux over time.

Abstract

The use of liquid helium and neon as scintillators for neutrino detection is investigated. Several unique properties of these cryogens make them promising candidates for real-time solar neutrino spectroscopy: large ultraviolet scintillation yields from ionizing radiation, transparency to their own scintillation light, and low levels of radioactive impurities. When neutrinos scatter from electrons in liquid helium or neon, ultraviolet light is emitted. The ultraviolet scintillation light can be efficiently converted to the visible with wavelength shifting films. In this way the neutrino-electron scattering events can be detected by photomultiplier tubes at room temperature. We conclude that the solar neutrino flux from the $\rm p+p\to e^{+}+d+\nu_{e}$ reaction could be characterized and monitored versus time using a 10 ton mass of liquid helium or neon as a scintillation target.