Cosmic muons as PMT and SiPM detector background signals

Abstract

Photomultiplier tube (PMT) and Silicon Photo Multiplier (SiPM) are often used for detecting small number of photons or very weak radiations. A light guide usually connects these photodetectors to the test space. In this article, we investigate the effect of background signals caused by cosmic muons scintillation or interactions with PMT and SiPM, their light guide or input window materials. We study such interactions by making simulations using GATE software package and undertaking experiments using detector circuits developed as in [1]. The background cosmic muons can generate photons which will lead to errors in low radiation and single photon detection experiments especially if standard scintillators are not used. For such experiments, we conclude that the most useful method for cutting down the cosmic muons background should be by conducting the experiments deep underground or inside tunnels with several tens of meters of materials above it.