Optimization of the Liquid Scintillator Composition for Radiation Monitoring Detectors

Abstract

Radiation contamination presents a significant threat to the environment. In the vicinity of nuclear facilities such as power stations and factories and within the already contaminated zones, a network of robust and inexpensive radiation detectors for constant monitoring of the background radiation level should be present. This paper focuses on such a detector that is based on a novel liquid scintillator material allowing for extended capabilities than typical counters. Nowadays, novel particle detectors use liquid scintillator as a detection medium, in particular, Water-based Liquid Scintillator that is a new material currently under development. It is based on the idea of dissolving the organic scintillator in water using special surfactants. This material strives to achieve the novel detection techniques by combining the Cherenkov radiation rings and scintillation light, as well as the total cost reduction compared to pure liquid scintillator. It is also non-flammable and more ecologically friendly than the pure scintillator. A design of such a detector is shown including the optimization of the composition of the detection medium for the selected applications. Both the total light yield and the spectral differences in the outputs with different amounts of components have been measured.