Development of barium and strontium fluoride multi-composite scintillation detection systems for neutrino experiments: COFE technology (Chemical Optical Fluoride Engineering)

Abstract It is presented the design of a compact neutrino detector based on composite scintillation materials devoted for high-efficiency detection of positron, both annihilation gamma quanta and neutron after the reaction of inverse beta-decay. The detector utilizes a combination of barium fluoride (BaF 2 ) mini crystals, hydrogen-containing glycerol as a medium for the reaction, and neutron-absorbing additives such as gadolinium fluoride (GdF 3 ) or cadmium chloride (CdCl 2 ). The design is optimized to achieve compatibility in refractive indices between scintillation components and the medium, enhancing light collection. Over 30 composite systems were assembled and characterized for light output efficiency using a 137 Cs gamma source. Results demonstrate that these systems successfully detect gamma radiation up to 500–600 keV and show potential for future neutrino registration.