LIquid Xenon Optical Characterization (LIXO)
Abstract
The next generation of Enriched Xenon Observatory (nEXO) is 5t liquid xenon experiment for studies of neutrinoless double beta decay of 136Xe. Liquid xenon (LXe) scintillates in vacuum ultraviolet region (VUV). nEXO plans to use SiPM as photon detectors. Not enough information is available about reflective properties of materials and photon detectors in VUV region, which complicates optimization of light collection and detection in nEXO. LIXO is a dedicated setup constructed at the University of Alabama aimed to measure reflectivity of active (SiPM) and passive samples (Teflon,PEEK) as a function of angle in LXe. The setup can also measure photon detection efficiency (PDE) of photon sensors as a function of angle in LXe. In LIXO, spontaneous nuclear fission of 252Cf excites LXe to produce 178 nm light. The light is incident onto the sample to be investigated. The reflected light is measured with SiPM's to obtain specular and diffused reflectivity. A dedicated SiPM is used to monitor light stability and to trigger on light flashes produced by spontaneous fission. Further details of the experimental setup, first preliminary results on reflectivity and PDE of SiPM's from Hamamatsu and FBK will be presented.
Nuclear Physics, DOE's Office of Science under Grant Number 26643.- Publication:
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APS April Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019APS..APRJ10009S