2024/11/26 by Vivek Gupta, G. R. Araujo, Gupta, V. +39
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Chemistry · Environmental Science · #Atmospheric Ozone and Climate #Spectroscopy and Laser Applications #Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2411.17934
Liquid argon detectors rely on wavelength shifters for efficient detection of scintillation light. The current standard is tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB), but it is challenging to instrument on a large scale. Poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN), a polyester easily manufactured as thin sheets, could simplify the coverage of large surfaces with wavelength shifters. Previous measurements have shown that commercial grades of PEN have approximately 50% light conversion efficiency relative to TPB. Encouraged by these results, we conducted a large-scale measurement using 4~m2 combined PEN and specular reflector foils in a two-tonne liquid argon dewar to assess its stability over approximately two weeks. This test is crucial for validating PEN as a viable substitute for TPB. The setup used for the measurement of the stability of PEN as a wavelength shifter is described, together with the first results, showing no evidence of performance deterioration over a period of 12 days.