{
  "abstract": "Accurate Monte Carlo simulation of plastic scintillator detectors requires precise wavelength-dependent optical properties. We present measurements of wavelength-dependent refractive index $n(λ)$ and bulk absorption length $L_{\\mathrm{abs}}(λ)$ for six commercial polyvinyltoluene (PVT)-based scintillators (Saint Gobain BC-400, BC-404, BC-408, BC-418, BC-422, and BC-430) at five wavelengths between 372 and 660 nm. Using a precision refraction apparatus and variable-thickness transmission measurements, we characterize material-specific dispersion that deviates substantially from both the manufacturer specification and literature values for pure PVT. Illustrative Geant4 simulations of a BC-422 detector demonstrate a 7.2% reduction in photocathode energy-deposition threshold events when using our measured $n(λ)$ compared to the constant manufacturer value, highlighting the practical importance of accurate optical property data for detector design and calibration. We successfully measure absorption lengths for BC-430 at four wavelengths between 372 and 505 nm (2.2-12.4 mm) and for all materials at 372 nm (2.2-38 mm), while establishing lower bounds exceeding 750 mm for weakly absorbing formulations at longer wavelengths.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2608.13710",
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Fergus Martin Huggins"
    },
    {
      "name": "Micah S. Johnson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Matthew Quinn Buckner"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d116g4fj1tsbp.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2608.13710",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "d116g4fj1tsbp",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.13710",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "hep-ex"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "nucl-ex"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.ins-det"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.optics"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3108|Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7203615551",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2608.13710",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d116g4fj1tsbp.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:30:32Z",
      "native_id": "2608.13710",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.13710"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.ins-det",
      "subfield": "applied-instrumentation"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:hep-ex",
      "subfield": "high-energy"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:nucl-ex",
      "subfield": "nuclear"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.optics",
      "subfield": "optics-photonics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Optical Characterization Measurements of Commercial Polyvinyltoluene Scintillators for Accurate Geant4 Detector Modeling",
  "title_text": "Optical Characterization Measurements of Commercial Polyvinyltoluene Scintillators for Accurate Geant4 Detector Modeling",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:33:28Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d116g4fj1tsbp",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}