Orateur
Description
LiquidO is a novel detector technology that uses the stochastic confinement of scintillation light in an opaque medium allowing for the capture of distinct event topologies. To collect this light a lattice of wavelength-shifting fibers run through the medium, which are then read out using silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). By leveraging the distinct event topologies observed, we can increase the efficiency of particle identification (PID) down to the MeV scale. Combining this with the prompt delayed coincident signal of inverse beta decay events, LiquidO technology will be ideal for reactor antineutrino detection. Alongside improved rejection of background sources such as cosmogenic muons and spallation neutrons a LiquidO style detector could be deployed at a on surface reactor site. At the University of Sussex prototype detectors have been and are being built to develop and mature the technology. Simulations of the LiquidO detectors are carried out in the Geant4-based RATPAC 2 framework, which produce high statistics event response datasets that map scintillation light transport within the opaque medium, quantify detector response and inform studies of light propagation characteristics. Building on this foundation, we have developed and validated efficient particle identification algorithms and machine learning classifiers that exploit distinctive light pattern signatures for robust signal discrimination and background rejection. In this presentation, I will give an overview of the LiquidO technology, discuss my work on simulations of LiquidO detectors and their applications in reactor antineutrino physics.
