Characterization of a Nd-loaded organic liquid scintillator for neutrinoless double beta decay search of 150Nd with a 10-ton scale detector (original) (raw)
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Optimization of the JUNO liquid scintillator composition using a Daya Bay antineutrino detector
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2021
To maximize the light yield of the liquid scintillator (LS) for the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), a 20 t LS sample was produced in a pilot plant at Daya Bay. The optical properties of the new LS in various compositions were studied by replacing the gadolinium-loaded LS in one antineutrino detector. The concentrations of the fluor, PPO, and the wavelength shifter, bis-MSB, were increased in 12 steps from 0.5 g/L and <0.01 mg/L to 4 g/L and 13 mg/L, respectively. The numbers of total detected photoelectrons suggest that, with the optically purified solvent, the bis-MSB concentration does not need to be more than 4 mg/L. To bridge the one order of magnitude in the detector size difference between Daya Bay and JUNO, the Daya Bay data were used to tune the parameters of a newly developed optical model. Then, the model and tuned parameters were used in the JUNO simulation. This enabled to determine the optimal composition for the JUNO LS: purified solvent LAB with 2.5 g/L PPO, and 1 to 4 mg/L bis-MSB.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2007
The use of multiple, identical liquid scintillator (LS) detectors at distances between 0.1 and 2 km from a nuclear reactor has the potential to detect antineutrino oscillations and to measure the value of the unknown neutrino-mixing angle y 13. The nuclear reaction of interest in the LS is the inverse b-decay reaction on protons, with the coincidence tag between the emitted prompt positron and the delayed neutron-capture providing a clear signature of the antineutrino capture. The neutron-capture signal is greatly enhanced by loading gadolinium into the LS, because of the large (n, g) cross-sections of the Gd isotopes (49,000 barns for natural abundance Gd), and the 8MeVofemittedgrays.WehavedevelopedproceduresatBNLtosynthesizehigh−qualityGd−loadedLS(Gd−LS)inasimplified,consistent,andreproducibleway,usingthemethodofpH−controlled,solvent−solventextraction.ThisGd−LShaslongattenuationlength(415m),highlightoutput(8 MeV of emitted grays. We have developed procedures at BNL to synthesize high-quality Gd-loaded LS (Gd-LS) in a simplified, consistent, and reproducible way, using the method of pH-controlled, solvent-solvent extraction. This Gd-LS has long attenuation length (415 m), highlight output (8MeVofemittedgrays.WehavedevelopedproceduresatBNLtosynthesizehigh−qualityGd−loadedLS(Gd−LS)inasimplified,consistent,andreproducibleway,usingthemethodofpH−controlled,solvent−solventextraction.ThisGd−LShaslongattenuationlength(415m),highlightoutput(90% of pseudocumene), and long-term stability (41.5 years to date). The preparation and characteristics of this Gd-LS are discussed in this paper.
Radiochemistry, 2007
A comparison was made of the properties of solvents meeting the requirements posed on Gd-loaded organic liquid scintillators (transparency, light output, compatibility with the structural materials of the detector). The optical properties of the solvents were examined in relation to various factors (purity of the initial reagents, concentrations of Gd and scintillation additives). Extraction of Gd with C 4 3C 8 carboxylic acids was examined. The composition of the extractable Gd complexes with 2-methylvaleric and 2-ethylhexanoic acids, GdR 3. 3HR. mH 2 O (where m = 132, depending on the solvents used), was determined. The solubility of water in 2-ethylhexanoic and 2-methylvaleric acids was examined. Scintillators based on Gd 2-methylvalerates have better parameters than those based on the other carboxylic acids tested. The instability of the optical properties of the Gd carboxylate solutions is presumably due to the presence of water in the scintillator. Possible methods of water removal from the organic phase were discussed.
A step toward CNO solar neutrino detection in liquid scintillators
Physics Letters B, 2011
The detection of CNO solar neutrinos in ultrapure liquid scintillator detectors is limited by the background produced by Bismuth-210 nuclei that undergo β-decay to Polonium-210 with a lifetime of ∼ 7 days. Polonium-210 nuclei are unstable and decay with a lifetime equal to ∼ 200 days emitting α particles that can be also detected. In this letter, we show that the Bi-210 background can be determined by looking at the time evolution of α−decay rate of Po-210, provided that α particle detection efficiency is stable over the data acquisition period and external sources of Po-210 are negligible. A sufficient accuracy can be obtained in a relatively short time. As an example, if the initial Po-210 event rate is ∼ 2000 cpd/100ton or lower, a Borexino-like detector could start discerning CNO neutrino signal from Bi-210 background in ∆t ∼ 1yr.