Speaker
Description
In recent decades, argon-based particle detectors have become a widely-used technology for numerous applications, including dark matter searches and neutrino measurements. For these detector designs, WaveLength Shifters (WLS) such as tetraphenylbutadiene (TPB) are used to shift argon's scintillation light from the hard UV (128 nm) to visible wavelengths. In particular, the use of PhotoMultiplier Tubes (PMTs) in argon-based detectors can require WLS for successful light detection and event reconstruction. Recently, Hamamatsu has produced a line of Silicon PhotoMultipliers (SiPMs) which show appreciable photon detection efficiencies down to 100 nm; deploying such photosensors in an argon-based detector could bypass the need for wavelength shifting materials. This talk will present the measurement ongoing at LLNL to demonstrate direct detection of argon scintillation light using Hamamatsu's VUV-sensitive SiPMs, as well as quantify their performance (gain, cross-talk, photon detection efficiency?, etc.) for future deployment in argon-based detectors.
This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.