Characterization of a GAGG detector for neutron measurements in underground laboratories
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866908334641119232 |
|---|---|
| author | Ascenzo, Lorenzo Benato, Giovanni Chu, Yingjie Di Carlo, Giuseppe Molinario, Andrea Vernetto, Silvia |
| author_facet | Ascenzo, Lorenzo Benato, Giovanni Chu, Yingjie Di Carlo, Giuseppe Molinario, Andrea Vernetto, Silvia |
| contents | In rare events experiments, such as those devoted to the direct search of dark matter, a precise knowledge of the environmental gamma and neutron backgrounds is crucial for reaching the design experiment sensitivity. The neutron component is often poorly known due to the lack of a scalable detector technology for the precise measurement of low-flux neutron spectra. Gd$_3$Al$_2$Ga$_3$O$_{12}$ (GAGG) is a newly developed, high-density scintillating crystal with a high gadolinium content, which could allow to exploit the high $(n,γ)$ cross section of $^{155}$Gd and $^{157}$Gd for neutron measurements in underground environments. GAGG crystals feature a high scintillation light yield, good timing performance, and the capability of particle identification via pulse-shape discrimination. In a low-background environment, the distinctive signature produced by neutron capture on gadolinium, namely a $β/γ$ cascade releasing up to 9 MeV of total energy, and the efficient particle identification provided by GAGG could yield a background-free neutron capture signal. In this work, we present the characterization of a first GAGG detector prototype in terms of particle discrimination performance, intrinsic radioactive contamination, and neutron response. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_16889 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Characterization of a GAGG detector for neutron measurements in underground laboratories Ascenzo, Lorenzo Benato, Giovanni Chu, Yingjie Di Carlo, Giuseppe Molinario, Andrea Vernetto, Silvia Instrumentation and Detectors Nuclear Experiment In rare events experiments, such as those devoted to the direct search of dark matter, a precise knowledge of the environmental gamma and neutron backgrounds is crucial for reaching the design experiment sensitivity. The neutron component is often poorly known due to the lack of a scalable detector technology for the precise measurement of low-flux neutron spectra. Gd$_3$Al$_2$Ga$_3$O$_{12}$ (GAGG) is a newly developed, high-density scintillating crystal with a high gadolinium content, which could allow to exploit the high $(n,γ)$ cross section of $^{155}$Gd and $^{157}$Gd for neutron measurements in underground environments. GAGG crystals feature a high scintillation light yield, good timing performance, and the capability of particle identification via pulse-shape discrimination. In a low-background environment, the distinctive signature produced by neutron capture on gadolinium, namely a $β/γ$ cascade releasing up to 9 MeV of total energy, and the efficient particle identification provided by GAGG could yield a background-free neutron capture signal. In this work, we present the characterization of a first GAGG detector prototype in terms of particle discrimination performance, intrinsic radioactive contamination, and neutron response. |
| title | Characterization of a GAGG detector for neutron measurements in underground laboratories |
| topic | Instrumentation and Detectors Nuclear Experiment |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.16889 |