The Wavelength-shifting Optical Module (WOM) for the IceCube Upgrade

• Main Authors: Rack-Helleis, John, Pollmann, Anna, Rongen, Martin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: arXiv 2021
• Subjects: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena astro-ph.HE; Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics astro-ph.IM; FOS Physical sciences; South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2107.10194; https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.10194

The Wavelength-shifting Optical Module (WOM) is a novel optical sensor that uses wavelength shifting and light guiding to substantially enhance the photosensitive area of UV optical modules. It has been designed for the IceCube Upgrade, a seven-string extension of the IceCube detector planned for the 2022/2023 South Pole deployment season. The WOM consists of a hollow quartz cylinder coated in wavelength shifting paint which serves as detection area and has two photomultipliers (PMTs) attached to the end faces. The light-collecting tube increases the effective photocathode area of the PMTs without producing additional dark current, making it suitable for low-signal, low-noise applications. We report on the design and performance of the WOM with a focus on the 12 modules in production for deployment in the IceCube Upgrade. While the WOM will be deployed in IceCube, its design is applicable to any large-volume particle detector based on the detection of Cherenkov light. : Presented at the 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2021). See arXiv:2107.06966 for all IceCube contributions