We report on the first observation of electroluminescence and charge amplification with a Virtual Cathode Chamber (VCC) microstrips plate immersed in liquid xenon. Both were observed in an intense non-uniform electric field in the vicinity of 2-μm narrow anode strips deposited, with a 2~mm pitch, on a semiconductive glass substrate (S8900), with a cathode film on its backside. An initial light yield of ∼460 VUV photons per drifting electron was measured, which degraded within tens of minutes stabilizing at (27.0~±~3.1)~photons per electron. The electroluminescence was accompanied by electron multiplication with an estimated charge gain <10. Further investigations are necessary to understand and mitigate the light yield degradation phenomenon. We expect other substrate materials, including VUV-transparent ones, to provide large stable photon yields, compatible with our model predictions. The VCC configuration has demonstrated great potential in single-phase noble-liquid detectors, particularly for dark-matter searches, neutrino physics and other fields.
@article{arxiv.2505.24611,
title = {Electroluminescence and charge multiplication in liquid xenon with a VCC-like Microstrip Plate},
author = {Gonzalo Martínez-Lema and Vitaly Chepel and Amos Breskin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.24611},
year = {2025}
}