Quenching factor measurements of sodium nuclear recoils in NaI:Tl determined by spectrum fitting. (20th July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bignell, L.J.; Mahmood, I.; Nuti, F.; Lane, G.J.; Akber, A.; Barberio, E.; Baroncelli, T.; Coombes, B.J.; Dix, W.; Dowie, J.T.H.; Eriksen, T.; Gerathy, M.S.M.; Gray, T.J.; McCormick, B.P.; Mitchell, A.J.; Rahman, M.S.; Scutti, F.; Spinks, N.J.; Stuchbery, A.E.; Timmers, H.; Urquijo, P.; Wang, L.; Zhong, Y.Y.; Zurowski, M.J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of instrumentation. Volume 16:Number 7(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-07-20
• Subjects: Dark Matter detectors (WIMPs, axions, etc.) -- Scintillators, scintillation and light emission processes (solid, gas and liquid scintillators) -- Detector modelling and simulations I (interaction of radiation with matter, interaction of photons with matter, interaction of hadrons with matter, etc) -- Instrumentation for heavy-ion accelerators; Scientific apparatus and instruments -- Periodicals; 502.84
• DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/16/07/P07034
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1748-0221

Abstract

Abstract: We have performed measurements of sodium nuclear recoils in NaI:Tl crystals, following scattering by neutrons produced in a 7 Li(p, n) 7 Be reaction. Understanding the light output from such recoils, which is reduced relative to electrons of equivalent energy by the quenching factor, is critical to interpret dark matter experiments that search for nuclear scattering interactions. We have developed a spectrum-fitting methodology to extract the quenching factor from our measurements, and report quenching factors for nuclear recoil energies between 36 and 401 keV. Our results agree with other recent quenching factor measurements that use quasi-monoenergetic neutron sources. The new method will be applied in the future to the NaI:Tl crystals used in the SABRE experiment.