Measurement of $\alpha$-particle quenching in LAB based scintillator in independent small-scale experiments

Understand

The $\alpha$-particle light response of liquid scintillators based on linear alkylbenzene (LAB) has been measured with three different experimental approaches.

• In the first approach, $\alpha$-particles were produced in the scintillator via $^{12}$C($n$,$\alpha$)$^9$Be reactions.
• In the second approach, the scintillator was loaded with 2% of $^{\mathrm{nat}}$Sm providing an $\alpha$-emitter, $^{147}$Sm, as an internal source.
• In the third approach, a scintillator flask was deployed into the water-filled SNO+ detector and the radioactive contaminants $^{222}$Rn, $^{218}$Po and $^{214}$Po provided the $\alpha$-particle signal.