Cryogenic setup for the characterization of wavelength-shifting materials for noble element radiation detectors

Abstract

In the present work, we describe a new cryogenic setup for studies of wavelength-shifting materials for optimised light collection in noble element radiation detectors, and discuss the commissioning results. This SiPM-based setup usesαinduced scintillation in gaseous argon as the vacuum ultraviolet light source with the goal of characterising materials, such as polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB), in terms of their wavelength-shifting efficiency. Preliminary results obtained with the system are consistent with the ones reported in literature: 0.5±0.05 in terms of WLS efficiency (PEN/TPB). A value of 1.24 μs was obtained for the triplet lifetime in Ar, which is a factor of 2.6 smaller than the one described in literature due to the presence of impurities. Further extensions of the system are currently being studied. The foreseen upgrades are expected to allow the study of GEM-like structures potentially interesting for rare-event searches. The design of the setup will be addressed along with the first results.