Towards ¹⁴C-free liquid scintillator

A series of measurements has been started where the ¹⁴C concentration is determined from several liquid scintillator samples. A dedicated setup has been designed and constructed with the aim of measuring concentrations smaller than 10⁻¹⁸. Measurements take place in two underground laboratories: in the Baksan Neutrino Observatory, Russia, and in the new Callio Lab in the Pyhäsalmi mine, Finland. Low-energy neutrino detection with a liquid scintillator requires that the intrinsic ¹⁴C concentration in the liquid is extremely low. In the Borexino CTF detector the concentration of 2 × 10⁻¹⁸ has been achieved being the lowest value ever measured. In principle, the older the oil or gas source that the liquid scintillator is derived from and the deeper it situates, the smaller the ¹⁴C concentration is supposed to be. This, however, is not generally the case and the concentration is probably due to the U and Th content of the local environment. (paper)