Performance of VUV-sensitive MPPC for liquid argon scintillation light

A new multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC) sensitive to vacuum ultra-violet (VUV) light (wavelength λ<150nm) has recently been developed and produced by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. In this study, the basic properties of the new MPPC are measured at the cryogenic facility of the Waseda University using liquid nitrogen. The temperature dependence of the breakdown voltage, capacitance, and dark count rate of the MPPCs are also evaluated. Using an 241Am α-ray source, the absolute photon detection efficiency (PDE) of the liquid argon (LAr) scintillation light (λ=128 nm) for the latest MPPC model is estimated to be 13%. Based on these basic measurements a possible application of the new MPPC to LAr detectors in dark matter search is suggested.