Optimized
α/β
pulse shape discrimination in Borexino
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Published:2024-06-14
Issue:11
Volume:109
Page:
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ISSN:2470-0010
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Container-title:Physical Review D
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Phys. Rev. D
Author:
Basilico D.1, Bellini G.1, Benziger J.2, Biondi R.3, Caccianiga B.1, Calaprice F.2, Caminata A.1, Chepurnov A.4, D’Angelo D.1, Derbin A.5, Di Giacinto A.3, Di Marcello V.3, Ding X. F.2, Di Ludovico A.2, Di Noto L.1, Drachnev I.5, Franco D.6, Galbiati C.27, Ghiano C.3, Giammarchi M.1, Goretti A.2, Gromov M.4, Guffanti D.8, Ianni Aldo3, Ianni Andrea2, Jany A.9, Kobychev V.10, Korga G.1112, Kumaran S.13143, Laubenstein M.3, Litvinovich E.1516, Lombardi P.1, Lomskaya I.5, Ludhova L.1314, Machulin I.1516, Martyn J.8, Meroni E.1, Miramonti L.1, Misiaszek M.9, Muratova V.5, Nugmanov R.15, Oberauer L.17, Orekhov V.8, Ortica F.1, Pallavicini M.1, Pelicci L.1314, Penek Ö.13, Pietrofaccia L.2, Pilipenko N.5, Pocar A.18, Raikov G.15, Ranalli M. T.3, Ranucci G.1, Razeto A.3, Re A.1, Rossi N.3, Schönert S.17, Semenov D.5, Settanta G.13, Skorokhvatov M.1516, Singhal A.1314, Smirnov O.19, Sotnikov A.19, Tartaglia R.3, Testera G.1, Unzhakov E.5, Vishneva A.19, Vogelaar R. B.20, von Feilitzsch F.17, Wojcik M.9, Wurm M.8, Zavatarelli S.1, Zuber K.21, Zuzel G.9,
Affiliation:
1. Università degli Studi e INFN 2. Princeton University 3. INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso 4. Lomonosov Moscow State University Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics 5. St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute NRC Kurchatov Institute 6. CNRS 7. Gran Sasso Science Institute 8. Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz 9. Jagiellonian University 10. Institute for Nuclear Research of NASU 11. Royal Holloway University of London 12. Institute of Nuclear Research (Atomki) 13. Institut für Kernphysik 14. RWTH Aachen University 15. National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute 16. National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) 17. Technische Universität München 18. University of Massachusetts 19. Joint Institute for Nuclear Research 20. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 21. TU Dresden
Abstract
Borexino could efficiently distinguish between α and β radiation in its liquid scintillator by the characteristic time profile of its scintillation pulse. This α/β discrimination, first demonstrated on the ton scale in the counting test facility prototype, was used throughout the lifetime of the experiment between 2007 and 2021. With this method, the α events are identified and subtracted from the solar neutrino events similar to β. This is particularly important in liquid scintillators, as the α scintillation is strongly quenched. In Borexino, the prominent Po210 decay peak was a background in the energy range of electrons scattered from Be7 solar neutrinos. Optimal α/β discrimination was achieved with a , with a higher ability to leverage the timing information of the scintillation photons detected by the photomultiplier tubes. An event-by-event, high efficiency, stable, and uniform pulse shape discrimination was essential in characterizing the spatial distribution of background in the detector. This benefited most Borexino measurements, including solar neutrinos in the pp chain and the first direct observation of the CNO cycle in the Sun. This paper presents key milestones in α/β discrimination in Borexino as a term of comparison for current and future large liquid scintillator detectors.
Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Funder
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare National Science Foundation Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Russian Science Foundation Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Narodowe Centrum Nauki
Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)
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