Light-output response of the plastic scintillator for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD)

The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) onboard NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover mission has been designed to detect a wide range of particle types (charged and neutral) and energies on the Mars surface. The BC432m plastic scintillator coupled to PIN photodiodes has been used as a neutron detector as well as an anticoincidence shield for the RAD instrument. We present an experimental study of the non-linear light-output response of the BC432m for protons and neutrons beams. The experimental results have been compared to the parametric formula based on the theoretical work of Birks and Chou. Furthermore, a comparison between the quenching effect found in the BC432m and in other inorganic scintillators (CsI:Tl) used in the RAD instrument has been performed.