Speaker
Andrey Elagin
(University of Chicago)
Description
In a liquid scintillator detector electrons from $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay often exceed
Cherenkov threshold. Selection of early photons using fast photo-detectors separates prompt directional Cherenkov light from delayed isotropic scintillation light. This leads to the possibility of reconstructing the event topology of $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay candidate events by analyzing spatial and timing distribution of early photons. Using a simulation of a 6.5 m radius liquid scintillator detector with 100 ps resolution photo-detectors, we present a technique for separating $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay events from background due to $^8$B solar neutrino interactions and $^{10}$C decays. These represent key backgrounds at deep and shallow detector sites. We separate $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay and $^8$B events by comparing the event topologies using a spherical harmonics analysis of the early light emitted in each candidate event. $^{10}$C events can be identified by comparing photons arrival time distributions. Since 98% of $^{10}$C decays through an excited state of $^{10}$B(718), which has a half-life time of $\sim$1 ns, the majority of $^{10}$C events have a prompt positron accompanied by a delayed 0.718 MeV gamma that diminishes the amount of early light compared to signal events.
Primary author
Andrey Elagin
(University of Chicago)
Co-authors
Brian Naranjo
(University of California, Los Angeles)
Henry Frisch
(University of Chicago)
Jonathan Ouellet
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Lindley Winslow
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Taritree Wongjirad
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
