Speaker
Eric Spieglan
(University of Chicago)
Description
We propose a technique to use switchable fluorescent molecules to image ionization and to measure energy deposition in events in large liquid double beta decay detectors. A charged particle deposits energy in an organic solvent as in liquid scintillators. The excitations transfer energy to the initially non-fluorescent switching molecules and activate them into a fluorescent configuration. The activated molecules can be repeatedly excited by optical photons, yielding many fluorescence photons each before being reset to the inactive configuration. This technique could be applied to generate high-resolution images of events as well as to reject external backgrounds. A region of interest for the readout process would be identified using prompt Cherenkov light. Selective illumination of the region of interest from various angles would allow iterative refinement of first the position and then the detailed structure of the event. The number of activated molecules takes a role analogous to the light yield of a conventional scintillator, providing a measurement of the energy. There exists at least one class of well-studied molecules which may be capable of meeting the requirements of the technique.
Primary authors
Andrey Elagin
(University of Chicago)
Eric Spieglan
(University of Chicago)
Evan Angelico
(University of Chicago)
João Shida
(University of Chicago)
henry frisch
(university of chicago)
