Secondary scintillation properties of multi-layer THGEMs operated in low-pressure CF4 and Ar/5%Xe

Cortesi, M.; Sims, H.; Pereira, J.; Ayyad, Y.; Majewski, P. A.; Katsioulas, I.

doi:10.1088/1748-0221/18/08/p08005

Title: Secondary scintillation properties of multi-layer THGEMs operated in low-pressure CF₄ and Ar/5%Xe

Journal Article · 03 August 2023 · Journal of Instrumentation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/18/08/p08005 · OSTI ID:2419543

Cortesi, M. ^[1]; Sims, H. ^[2]; Pereira, J. ^[2]; Ayyad, Y. ^[3]; Majewski, P. A. ^[4]; Katsioulas, I. ^[5]

Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States); OSTI
Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Oxford (United Kingdom). Rutherford Appleton Lab. (RAL)
European Spallation Source (ESS), Lund (Sweden)

We present a measurement of the secondary scintillation yield produced by two-layer Thick Gas Electron Multipliers (M-THGEMs) in pure Tetrafluoromethane (CF₄) gas and in Ar mixed with 5% Xe in low-pressures down to 20 Torr. The detector was irradiated with 5.49 MeV alpha particles from a low-rate 241-Am source. The secondary scintillation light generated during the gas avalanche process was read out by a Hamamatsu photomultiplier tube (model R8520-406), sensitive to a broad wavelength range (160–650 nm). The avalanche charge was collected on the bottom electrode of M-THGEM and correlated to the scintillation light on an event-by-event basis. We observed that, for both gas types, the value of the photon to electron production ratio (0.4 ph/el in CF₄ and 0.1 ph/el in Ar/5%Xe) increases with the thickness of the M-THGEM electrodes and varies significantly with the pressure, being higher at lower values. The decrease in electroluminescence yield at higher pressures is much more pronounced in the Ar/Xe mixture. In addition, because of a larger gas avalanche volume, the electroluminescence light yield is larger in thicker M-THGEM structures. Presented results are particularly useful for designing the next generation of Optical-readout Time Projection Chambers (O-TPCs) operated at low-pressure CF₄; applications include experimental nuclear physics with rare isotope beams, dark matter detection with directional sensitivity and observation of the Migdal effect in a low-pressure Optical TPC.

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Research Organization:: Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0000661

OSTI ID:: 2419543

Journal Information:: Journal of Instrumentation, Journal Name: Journal of Instrumentation Journal Issue: 08 Vol. 18; ISSN 1748-0221

Publisher:: Institute of Physics (IOP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Secondary scintillation properties of multi-layer THGEMs operated in low-pressure CF₄ and Ar/5%Xe