Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2015
Volume 60, Number 4
Saturday–Tuesday, April 11–14, 2015; Baltimore, Maryland
Session E7: Reactor Neutrinos |
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Sponsoring Units: DPF DNP Chair: Steve Brice, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Room: Key 3 |
Saturday, April 11, 2015 3:30PM - 3:42PM |
E7.00001: Measurement of Absolute Reactor Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay Jaewon Park Understanding of the absolute reactor flux has a strong impact on short baseline reactor experiments. Measurement of the absolute flux at Daya Bay Near detector gives a precise test on reactor anomaly, that has been seen from many experiments. While Daya Bay's $\theta_{13}$ measurement utilizes relative Far to Near ratio as well as spectrum ratio, the absolute spectrum shape provides test on our knowledge of reactor flux prediction. Various studies were performed to catch unaccounted detector or background effect on the spectrum measurement. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 11, 2015 3:42PM - 3:54PM |
E7.00002: PROSPECT Background Studies and Operation of Li-Loaded Liquid Scintillator Detectors at a Research Reactor Thomas Langford Segmented antineutrino detectors placed near compact research reactors provide an excellent opportunity to probe short-baseline neutrino oscillations and precisely measure the reactor antineutrino spectrum. PROSPECT is a phased experiment that will explore the favored reactor anomaly parameter space at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Lab. Measurements of the reactor correlated and ambient backgrounds will be presented, as well as a discussion of active and passive mitigation plans. A lithium-loaded liquid scintillator test detector is currently in operation at HFIR within a prototype shielding cave. Results from recent operation will be presented along with a discussion of their impact on PROSPECT. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 11, 2015 3:54PM - 4:06PM |
E7.00003: NuLat: A Novel Design for a Reactor Anti-Neutrino Detector S. Derek Rountree NuLat is a proposed very-short baseline (3-10m) reactor electron antineutrino (anti-$\nu_{\mathrm{e}})$ experiment that will probe the current best fit for light sterile neutrino mixing, the 5 MeV excess seen in current short baseline reactor experiments, and serve as a portable surface detector for cooperative ($\sim$ 30m baseline) surface monitoring of reactors. The NuLat detector will use an optically segmented 3D Raghavan optical lattice (ROL) detector that channels light via total internal reflection from a scintillation event down the 3 primary axes to the detector faces. The high degree of segmentation allows for each voxel's energy to be determined independently of other voxels, thus providing high temporal and spatial resolution and energy reconstruction independent of position. NuLat detects anti-$\nu_{\mathrm{e}}$ via inverse beta decay (IBD), which produces a positron and a neutron. Most of the time, the positron deposits its kinetic energy into a single voxel allowing superior derivation of the incident anti-$\nu_{\mathrm{e}}$'s energy. The final state neutron is captured via (n,$\alpha$) on $^{6}$Li or $^{10}$B after a characteristic delay time giving a coincidence tag. This talk will discuss the physics reach of NuLat using a solid loaded scintillator, and the timeline of the NuLat reactor anti-$\nu _{\mathrm{e}}$ program. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 11, 2015 4:06PM - 4:18PM |
E7.00004: Progress With the Double Chooz Time Projection Chamber (DCTPC) Neutron Detector Allie Hexley DCTPC detects fast neutron events at the Double Chooz reactor-basedneutrino oscillation experiment in France. Understanding neutronbackground as a function of energy and depth is relevant for multiple experiments around the world, including those trying to measure dark matter, low energy neutrino, and neutrinoless double beta decay. DCTPC allows us to produce a three dimensional image of a neutron-inducednuclear recoil with calorimetric and directional information. I will discuss how DCTPC works, why DCTPC is useful, and moving DCTPC to Fermilab this summer. I will also present results from the DCTPC Double Chooz near and far hall physics runs. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 11, 2015 4:18PM - 4:30PM |
E7.00005: Optimization of Pulse Shape Discrimination of PROSPECT Liquid Scintillator Signals Ke Han PROSPECT, A Precision Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment, will use a segmented Li-6 doped liquid scintillator detector for precision measurement of the reactor anti-neutrino spectrum at the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. PROSPECT also searches for very short baseline neutrino oscillation, an indication of the existence of eV-scale sterile neutrinos. Pulse shape analysis of the prompt anti-neutino signal and delayed neutron capture on Li-6 signal will greatly suppress background sources such as fast neutrons and accidental coincidence of gammas. In this talk, I will discuss different pulse shape parameters used in PROSPECT prototype detectors and multivariate optimization of event selection cuts based on those parameters. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 11, 2015 4:30PM - 4:42PM |
E7.00006: NuLat: 3D Event Reconstruction of a ROL Detector for Neutrino Detection and Background Rejection Zachary Yokley NuLat is a proposed very-short baseline reactor antineutrino experiment that employs a unique detector design, a Ragahavan Optical Lattice (ROL), developed for the LENS solar neutrino experiment. The 3D lattice provides high spatial and temporal resolution and allows for energy deposition in each voxel to be determined independently of other voxels, as well as the time sequence associated with each voxel energy deposition. This unique feature arises from two independent means to spatially locate energy deposits: via timing and via optical channeling. NuLat, the first application of a ROL detector targeting physics results, will measure the reactor antineutrino flux at very short baselines via inverse beta decay (IBD). The ROL design of NuLat makes possible the reconstruction of positron energy with little contamination due to the annihilation gammas which smear the positron energy resolution in a traditional detector. IBD events are cleanly tagged via temporal and spatial coincidence of neutron capture in the vertex voxel or nearest neighbors. This talk will present work on IBD event reconstruction in NuLat and its likely impact on sterile neutrino detection via operation in higher background locations enabled by its superior rejection of backgrounds. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 11, 2015 4:42PM - 4:54PM |
E7.00007: The WATCHMAN Project Steven Dazeley The Watchman collaboration is investigating the feasibility of using antineutrino detection as an unambiguous and unshieldable way to detect the presence of distant nuclear reactors. To do this we propose to construct a kiloton-scale, water-based antineutrino detector 13 kilometers from the Perry reactor at the site of the former IMB detector in Ohio. Complementing the non-proliferation mission, a detector of this size may also be able to contribute to important questions in neutrino physics, such as super-nova neutrinos, sterile neutrino oscillations, and non-standard electroweak interactions. (using a nearby compact accelerator source). Augmenting these goals, WATCHMAN will also serve as a large test bed for future detector technologies such as water-based scintillator, and advanced photon detection. In this talk I will describe the scope of the WATCHMAN concept, the physics and engineering challenges involved, the proposed design and the predicted performance of the experimental non-proliferation and high-energy physics program. [Preview Abstract] |
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