Validation of the COSINE-100U NaI(Tl) Encapsulation for Low-Temperature Operation in Liquid Scintillator

Abstract

The COSINE-100U (upgrade) will enhance the sensitivity of the COSINE-100 dark matter search by operating the detector array immersed in liquid scintillator (LS) at $-30^oC$. To validate the detector design for these conditions, we constructed a module using the COSINE-100U encapsulation and performed a dedicated long-term stability study. The module was first monitored at room temperature for ~110 days in air, followed by a one-week immersion in LAB-based LS to verify initial compatibility. Upon confirming stable optical performance, the temperature was lowered to $-33^oC$. During approximately 150 days of continuous operation at low temperature, we observed no degradation in performance. These results demonstrate the chemical and mechanical robustness of the encapsulation, confirming its suitability for the COSINE-100U physics run.