Cooking Carbon Dots -- Making an Instant Neutrino Detector in Your Kitchen
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866915900839428096 |
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| author | King, D. W. Samokovlisky, K. Panova, D. Dimitrichenko, A. Umrikhin, L. Katori, T. Rakovich, A. |
| author_facet | King, D. W. Samokovlisky, K. Panova, D. Dimitrichenko, A. Umrikhin, L. Katori, T. Rakovich, A. |
| contents | Liquid scintillators underpin a wide range of radiation detectors, including those used in neutrino physics, but typically rely on organic fluors dissolved in hazardous and costly solvents. Here, we show that carbon dots - nanoscale fluorescent carbon materials - synthesised from simple household ingredients using a microwave can function as water-based liquid scintillators. These carbon dots dispersed in water produce light yields up to 70 +/- 20 photons per MeV and enable the detection of atmospheric muons. This yield is sufficient to detect low-energy protons in water Cherenkov neutrino detectors, expanding their programs in both particle physics and astrophysics. These results establish an accessible, low-cost and environmentally benign route to scintillator development, opening new opportunities for large-scale radiation detection. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_28875 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Cooking Carbon Dots -- Making an Instant Neutrino Detector in Your Kitchen King, D. W. Samokovlisky, K. Panova, D. Dimitrichenko, A. Umrikhin, L. Katori, T. Rakovich, A. Instrumentation and Detectors High Energy Physics - Experiment Liquid scintillators underpin a wide range of radiation detectors, including those used in neutrino physics, but typically rely on organic fluors dissolved in hazardous and costly solvents. Here, we show that carbon dots - nanoscale fluorescent carbon materials - synthesised from simple household ingredients using a microwave can function as water-based liquid scintillators. These carbon dots dispersed in water produce light yields up to 70 +/- 20 photons per MeV and enable the detection of atmospheric muons. This yield is sufficient to detect low-energy protons in water Cherenkov neutrino detectors, expanding their programs in both particle physics and astrophysics. These results establish an accessible, low-cost and environmentally benign route to scintillator development, opening new opportunities for large-scale radiation detection. |
| title | Cooking Carbon Dots -- Making an Instant Neutrino Detector in Your Kitchen |
| topic | Instrumentation and Detectors High Energy Physics - Experiment |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.28875 |