Sufficiency of infrared scintillation in liquid xenon for practical detector applications

Determine whether infrared scintillation in liquid xenon provides a sufficiently strong light yield to be useful for practical applications in xenon-based detectors, including dual-phase time projection chambers.

Background

Prior work observed IR scintillation in gaseous xenon with yields comparable to UV and indications of pressure-dependent spectral shifts. In liquid xenon, IR scintillation has been detected but with yields estimated to be significantly lower than in gas.

This study observes IR signals associated with both S1 and S2 but cannot quantify absolute yields. Establishing whether liquid xenon’s IR emission is strong enough for practical use would inform potential benefits such as enhanced signal discrimination and background rejection in future detectors.

References

While it remains unclear whether IR scintillation in liquid xenon is sufficiently strong for practical applications, our data support the presence of IR emission from the electroluminescence process in xenon gas, consistent with previous observations.

— Operation of a dual-phase xenon detector with wavelength sensitivity from ultraviolet to infrared (2505.24682 - Hammann et al., 30 May 2025) in Section 6, Discussion and outlook