A novel segmented-scintillator antineutrino detector

Understand

The next generation of very-short-baseline reactor experiments will require compact detectors operating at surface level and close to a nuclear reactor.

• This paper presents a new detector concept based on a composite solid scintillator technology.
• The detector target uses cubes of polyvinyltoluene interleaved with $^6$LiF:ZnS(Ag) phosphor screens to detect the products of the inverse beta decay reaction.
• A multi-tonne detector system built from these individual cells can provide precise localisation of scintillation signals, making efficient use of the detector volume.