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Title: Measurements of the intrinsic quantum efficiency and absorption length of tetraphenyl butadiene thin films in the vacuum ultraviolet regime

Journal Article · · European Physical Journal. C, Particles and Fields
 [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

A key enabling technology for many liquid noble gas (LNG) detectors is the use of the common wavelength shifting medium tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB). TPB thin films are used to shift ultraviolet scintillation light into the visible spectrum for detection and event reconstruction. Understanding the wavelength shifting efficiency and optical properties of these films are critical aspects in detector performance and modeling and hence in the ultimate physics sensitivity of such experiments. This article presents the first measurements of the room-temperature microphysical quantum efficiency for vacuum-deposited TPB thin films – a result that is independent of the optics of the TPB or substrate. Also presented are measurements of the absorption length in the vacuum ultraviolet regime, the secondary re-emission efficiency, and more precise results for the “black-box” efficiency across a broader spectrum of wavelengths than previous results. The low-wavelength sensitivity, in particular, would allow construction of LNG scintillator detectors with lighter elements (Ne, He) to target light mass WIMPs.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1434216
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1485091
Journal Information:
European Physical Journal. C, Particles and Fields, Vol. 78, Issue 4; ISSN 1434-6044
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (5)

Polyethylene naphthalate film as a wavelength shifter in liquid argon detectors journal March 2019
Polyethylene naphthalate film as a wavelength shifter in liquid argon detectors text January 2018
Pulse shape study of the fast scintillation light emitted from xenon-doped liquid argon using silicon photomultipliers journal February 2021
Photoluminescence response of acrylic (PMMA) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to ultraviolet light text January 2019
Measurements of Angle-Resolved Reflectivity of PTFE in Liquid Xenon with IBEX text January 2019

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