Pollution of liquid argon after neutron irradiation

Abstract The purpose of the neutron facility installed at SARA is to investigate the behavior of various materials to be used in the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeter, when submitted to fast neutron radiation. The samples are placed in a liquid argon cryostat a few cm away from the neutron source. Various pieces of the electromagnetic calorimeter have been tested in order to evaluate the rate of pollution of the liquid and consequently the possible signal loss in energy measurements. The average fluence was equivalent to the maximum expected in the calorimeter in about 10 years. The most striking feature of the results is that the pollution is not due to oxygen, at least for most of it. Using a particular value of the absorption length derived from these data, a simulation was carried out and the energy signal loss in the calorimeter could be predicted. Within the limits of our present knowledge, the conclusion is that damages due to this pollution will not be a problem.