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Temperature dependence of the light yield of the LAB-based and mesitylene-based liquid scintillators

We studied the temperature dependence of the light yield of the linear alkyl benzene (LAB)-based and mesitylene-based liquid scintillators. The light yield increases by 23% for both liquid scintillators when the temperature is lowered from $26\;^{\circ}$C to $-40\;^{\circ }$C, correcting for the temperature response of the photomultiplier tube. The measurements help to understand the energy response of the liquid scintillator detectors. Especially, the next generation reactor neutrino experiments for neutrino mass hierarchy, such as the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), require very high energy resolution. As no apparent degradation on the liquid scintillator transparency was observed, lowering the operation temperature of the detector to $\sim4\;^\circ$C will increase the photoelectron yield of the detector by 13%, combining the light yield increase of the liquid scintillator and the quantum efficiency increase of the photomultiplier tubes.