The proton light output function in electronequivalent energy of various scintillators based on linear alkylbenzene (LAB) has been measured in the energy range from 1 MeV to 17.15 MeV for the first time. The measurement was performed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) using a neutron beam with continuous energy distribution. The proton light output data is extracted from proton recoil spectra originating from neutron-proton scattering in the scintillator. The functional behavior of the proton light output is described successfully by Birks' law with a Birks constant kB between (0.0094 ± 0.0002) cm MeV −1 and (0.0098 ± 0.0003) cm MeV −1 for the different LAB solutions. The constant C, parameterizing the quadratic term in the generalized Birks law, is consistent with zero for all investigated scintillators with an upper limit (95 % CL) of about 10 −7 cm 2 MeV −2 . The resulting quenching factors are especially important for future planned supernova neutrino detection based on the elastic scattering of neutrinos on protons. The impact of proton quenching on the supernova event yield from neutrino-proton scattering is discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.