Design, construction, and operation of a 1-ton Water-based Liquid scintillator detector at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Water-based liquid scintillators (WbLS) are a new class of detector materials that provide efficient and tunable detection of both Cherenkov and scintillation light. A massive WbLS neutrino detector with suitable photosensor coverage for low intensity light detection could therefore reconstruct the momentum of an energetic charged particle and also have enhanced low-energy sensitivity. These materials are also better suited for metal doping broadening the potential scientific utility. Here, we recently constructed and commissioned a 1-ton WbLS detector with good photosensor coverage and a capable data acquisition and calibration system. We intend to use this flexible detector system as a testbed for WbLS R&D. In this paper we give an overview of the 1-ton system and provide some early results.. Authors: Xiang, X. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Tsung-Dao Lee Institute]; Yang, G. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ. (China). Tsung-Dao Lee Institute; Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)]; Andrade, S. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)]; Askins, M. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)]; Asner, D. M. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)]. DOE Contract: AC02-05CH11231; AC02-98CH10886; SC0012447; SC0012704; SC0018974. Subjects: 47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION; WbLS, nonproliferation; liquid scintillator; neutrino; water based