The Development of an Argon Light Source for Calibration and Quality Control of Liquid Argon Light Detectors

Abstract

Future large-scale neutrino and dark matter experiments will mostly use liquid argon detectors. Since liquid argon is a very effective scintillator, light sensing systems are included in these experiments. The wavelength of liquid argon scintillation is 127 nm. For this reason special light detectors based on wavelength shifters have been produced to measure this wavelength, and recently photodetectors sensitive to deeper UV. Nonetheless, the effective calibration and quality assurance of these recently developed detectors remain an ongoing challenge. In response to this requirement, we have created an argon-based light source that relies on plasma generation and light transmission via an MgF2 window. This light source is designed to be compact, portable, and user-friendly, allowing for the practical evaluation of the performance attributes of light detectors of several square meters in size. In this report, we detail the progression of the light source's development and outline its performance attributes.