Event
QTC Special Seminar: Nuclear recoil detection with color centers in bulk lithium fluoride
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
11:00 a.m.
IDEA Factory (Building 228), Pedro Wasmer Conference Room (EAF 2125)
Daniel Ang
301 405 3836
dga@umd.edu
QTC Special Seminar (Prof. Patrick Huber, Virginia Tech)
Abstract: I will present initial results on nuclear recoil detection based on the fluorescence of color centers created by nuclear recoils in lithium fluoride. We use light-sheet fluorescence microscopy to image nuclear recoil tracks from fast and thermal neutron interactions deep inside a cubic-centimeter sized crystal and demonstrate automated feature extraction in three dimensions using machine learning tools. The number, size, and topology of the events agree with expectations based on simulation with TRIM. These results constitute the first step towards 10-1000g scale detectors with single-event sensitivity for the detection of dark matter particles, reactor neutrinos, and neutrons. These results also indicate the potential for applications in nuclear security and arms control.
