Abstract
Background
The linear alkylbenzene has been recently used as the solvent of liquid scintillator by several neutrino experiments. The nonlinear energy response induced by the ionization quenching is critical in this kind of detectors. An empirical model proposed by Birks is commonly used to describe the quenching effect; however, recently, the parameter \(k_{\text {B}}\) in the model is found to be particle dependent.
Purpose
To improve the understanding of proton quenching in LS detectors.
Methods
A 14 MeV D–T compact neutron generator is deployed which can provide recoil protons with kinetic energies ranging from 0.5 to 13 MeV in LS.
Results
The parameter \(k_{\text {B}}\) is extracted by fitting the data to the Birks’ law prediction with careful examination of systematic uncertainties.
Conclusion
The measurement will contribute to the in-depth understanding of the energy nonlinearity in liquid scintillator detectors.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11390381 and 11225525).
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Yang, M., Yu, Z., Cao, J. et al. Measurement of proton quenching in a LAB-based liquid scintillator. Radiat Detect Technol Methods 3, 3 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41605-018-0049-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41605-018-0049-z