https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14807-5
Regular Article - Experimental Physics
Characterization of a GAGG detector for neutron measurements in underground laboratories
1
Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, Via Vetoio 42, 67100, L’Aquila, Italy
2
Gran Sasso Science Institute, Viale F. Crispi 7, 67100, L’Aquila, Italy
3
INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Via G. Acitelli 22, 67100, Assergi, AQ, Italy
4
INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Via Osservatorio 20, 10025, Pino Torinese, TO, Italy
5
INFN-Sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Turin, Italy
a
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Received:
24
April
2025
Accepted:
18
September
2025
Published online:
24
September
2025
In rare events experiments, such as those devoted to the direct search of dark matter, a precise knowledge of the environmental gamma and neutron backgrounds is crucial for reaching the design experiment sensitivity. The neutron component is often poorly known due to the lack of a scalable detector technology for the precise measurement of low-flux neutron spectra. 
:Ce (GAGG) is a newly developed, high-density scintillating crystal with a high gadolinium content, which could allow to exploit the high 
cross section of 155Gd and 157Gd for neutron measurements in underground environments. GAGG crystals feature a high scintillation light yield, good timing performance, and the capability of particle identification via pulse-shape discrimination. In a low-background environment, the distinctive signature produced by neutron capture on gadolinium, namely a 
cascade releasing up to 9 MeV of total energy, and the efficient particle identification provided by GAGG could yield a background-free neutron capture signal. In this work, we present the characterization of a first GAGG detector prototype in terms of particle discrimination performance, intrinsic radioactive contamination, and neutron response.
© The Author(s) 2025
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Funded by SCOAP3.
