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

Abstract

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.

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1434216
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1485091
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
European Physical Journal. C, Particles and Fields
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: European Physical Journal. C, Particles and Fields Journal Volume: 78 Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 1434-6044
Publisher:
Springer Science + Business Media
Country of Publication:
Germany
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Citation Formats

Benson, Christopher, Orebi Gann, Gabriel D., and Gehman, Victor. Measurements of the intrinsic quantum efficiency and absorption length of tetraphenyl butadiene thin films in the vacuum ultraviolet regime. Germany: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-5807-z.
Benson, Christopher, Orebi Gann, Gabriel D., & Gehman, Victor. Measurements of the intrinsic quantum efficiency and absorption length of tetraphenyl butadiene thin films in the vacuum ultraviolet regime. Germany. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-5807-z
Benson, Christopher, Orebi Gann, Gabriel D., and Gehman, Victor. Mon . "Measurements of the intrinsic quantum efficiency and absorption length of tetraphenyl butadiene thin films in the vacuum ultraviolet regime". Germany. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-5807-z.
@article{osti_1434216,
title = {Measurements of the intrinsic quantum efficiency and absorption length of tetraphenyl butadiene thin films in the vacuum ultraviolet regime},
author = {Benson, Christopher and Orebi Gann, Gabriel D. and Gehman, Victor},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-5807-z},
journal = {European Physical Journal. C, Particles and Fields},
number = 4,
volume = 78,
place = {Germany},
year = {Mon Apr 23 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Mon Apr 23 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-5807-z

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 27 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Figures / Tables:

Fig. 1 Fig. 1: Scintillation wavelengths for various noble gases, along with the transmission of some commonly used optical windows

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