Speaker
Description
Xenon scintillation has been widely used in recent particle physics experiments. However, information on primary scintillation yield in the absence of recombination is still scarce and dispersed. The mean energy required to produce a VUV scintillation photon (Wsc) in gaseous Xe has been measured to be in the range of 30-120 eV. Lower Wsc-values are often reported for alpha particles when compared to those for electrons produced by gamma or x-rays, being this difference still not fully understood.
We performed a systematic experimental study of the absolute primary scintillation yield in Xe at 1.2 bar, using a Gas Proportional Scintillation Counter. The simulation model of the detector's geometric efficiency was benchmarked through the primary and secondary scintillation produced at different distances from the photosensor. Wsc-values were obtained for gamma- and x-rays with energies in the range of 5.9-60 keV, and for 2-MeV alpha particles. No significant differences were found in the values for alpha particles and for electrons.
Acknowledgment
This work is funded by FEDER, through the Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade — COMPETE and by National funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Lisbon, Portugal, in the frame of project UID/FIS/04559/2020 (LIBPhys).
