Bulletin of the American Physical Society
5th Joint Meeting of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics and the Physical Society of Japan
Volume 63, Number 12
Tuesday–Saturday, October 23–27, 2018; Waikoloa, Hawaii
Session CN: Mini-Symposium Intersections of Neutrino Physics and Nuclear Physics |
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Chair: Alfredo Galindo-Uribarri, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Room: Hilton Kohala 4 |
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 7:00PM - 7:30PM |
CN.00001: Reactor Antineutrinos and Nuclear Physics Invited Speaker: Akif Baha Balantekin Several recent experiments emphasize the need for better nuclear data in connection with fundamental science, either exploring new physics beyond the Standard Model or exploring astrophysical phenomena. For example short-baseline reactor neutrino experiments successfully measured the neutrino parameters they set out to measure, but they also identified an excess of reactor antineutrinos with energies around 5 MeV as well as a reduction from the predicted value of the flux. Very recently the flux of neutrinos coming from the fissions of 235U and 239Pu in the cores of Daya Bay reactors were measured and were found in variance with the nuclear physics predictions. In this talk recent developments are summarized and the potential impact of improving the nuclear physics input into neutrino interactions on uncovering new physics will be discussed. |
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 7:30PM - 7:45PM |
CN.00002: Towards a Precise Measurement of the 235U Antineutrino Spectrum with PROSPECT Karsten M Heeger PROSPECT, the Precision Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment, is a reactor antineutrino experiment designed to search for eV-scale sterile neutrinos and measure the spectrum of antineutrinos from highly-enriched 235U at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). PROSPECT uses a 4-ton, segmented 6Li-doped liquid scintillator detector to make a high-resolution measurement of the prompt energy spectrum from inverse beta decay on protons. An optical and radioactive source calibration system integrated into the active detector volume is used to characterize the optical and energy response of all detector segments. We will discuss the calibration and characterization of the PROSPECT detector and report on PROSPECT’s first measurement of the energy spectrum associated with reactor antineutrinos. |
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 7:45PM - 8:00PM |
CN.00003: A Novel Calibration Scheme of Effective Volume in a Large Segmented Liquid Scintillator Antineutrino Detector Jim Napolitano The PROSPECT neutrino detector is a contiguous array of 154 15×15×120 cm3 modules, each filled with 6Li-loaded liquid scintillator (LiLS). The LiLS identifies neutrons by detecting the reaction n+6Li→4He+3H using Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) to select the α and triton. By dissolving a dilute solution of 227AcCl into the LiLS, we obtain a continuous monitor of relative active volume times efficiency, individually for each module, by observing the “RnPo” α-decays 219Rn→215Po→211Pb. The RnPo rate is 0.5 Bq integrated over the entire detector, providing a 1% calibration of each module over several weeks’ time. This talk will describe the principles of the technique, our prototype tests, and performance in the installed PROSPECT detector. |
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 8:00PM - 8:15PM |
CN.00004: A Search for Sterile Neutrino Oscillations with PROSPECT Olga Kyzylova O. Kyzylova, Drexel University, for the PROSPECT Collaboration The Precision Reactor Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment (PROSPECT) makes a precision measurement of antineutrinos from the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) through inverse beta decay at a baseline range of 7-9 m from the reactor core. The single, movable detector consists of 154 optically separated individual segments filled with 6Li-loaded liquid scintillator. The detector segments aid with the event localization and cover a range of baselines from the reactor core. The segmented detector design allows a reactor-model independent search for eV2-scale sterile neutrino oscillations by performing a relative measurement of the antineutrino event rates and energy distributions between segments within the detector. This talk will discuss the PROSPECT oscillation analysis and present recent results. |
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 8:15PM - 8:30PM |
CN.00005: Reconstructed Anti-neutrino Energy Spectrum and Ground State Branching Ratio of Laser Trapped $^{92}Rb\rightarrow $ $^{92}Sr$$\beta\bar{\nu}_e$ James C McNeil, Alexandre Gorelov, Melissa J Anholm, Dan G. Melconian, Danny Ashery, John A Behr, Iuliana Cohen Reactor neutrino oscillation experiments observe two anomalies in anti-neutrino energy spectra: a total deficit of events, and an excess in the 5-7 MeV range compared to theory. A total deficit in anti-neutrino flux may support a non-SM sterile neutrino, but both discrepancies may result from inadequate understanding of the reactor fuel cycle. In the 5-7 MeV range first-forbidden $0^-\rightarrow0^+$ decays account for ~30\% of the total anti-neutrino flux, of which $^{92}Rb$ alone accounts for 10-15\%. Measuring the anti-neutrino ($\bar{\nu}_e$) energy spectra from $^{92}Rb$ decay, and the strong ground state branching ratio (GSBR) with 2\% accuracy and independent systematics to traditional total absorption spectrometers will aid in improving model predictions. Using the TRINAT neutral atom trap, and measured momenta of beta and recoiling daughter, kinematic reconstruction of $\bar{\nu}_e$ energy spectra is performed and GSBR extracted in low background beta, atomic shake-off electron (SOE), recoil coincidence channel. First data gives a preliminary beta-neutrino correlation coefficient $a_{\beta\nu}$ using the recoil-SOE coincidence channel below 280 eV in recoil energy of $0.32\pm0.04$, which can constrain the excited state branch. |
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 8:30PM - 8:45PM |
CN.00006: Signature of Individual Fission Products in a Nuclear Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum Alejandro Sonzogni, Elizabeth McCutchan, Michael N Nino Nuclear reactors are copious sources of electron antineutrinos, produced by the beta-minus decay of more than 800 neutron-rich fission fragments. In the present work, a novel yet simple numerical procedure to analyze the antineutrino and electron spectra has been developed. When applied to the Daya Bay antineutrino spectrum, we identify the presence of 4 nuclides, 95Y, 98,102Nb and 102Tc. Additionally, the presence of 96Y and 92Rb is revealed when the procedure is applied to the 235U electron spectrum. The reason behind this ability to identify individual products is that the emission of antineutrinos in a nuclear reactor is not a purely statistical process. Out of the 800 fission products, a smaller number will be significantly produced due to shell effects, and for each one of those fission products, the number of strong beta transitions is reduced to just a few. Another recent development in the summation method that will be presented is the generation of cumulative fission yield covariances, which allows for uncertainty quantification on the antineutrino yield and related quantities. |
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 8:45PM - 9:00PM |
CN.00007: Measurement of CEvNS with COHERENT at the ORNL SNS Rex Tayloe The COHERENT collaboration is measuring coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) using the high-power, pulsed neutrino source provided by the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The first measurement of the process was reported in 2017 using a 14.6 kg CsI detector. In addition, three other technologies are being deployed to complement this first observation: p-type point-contact germanium detectors, single-phase liquid argon, and NaI[Tl] crystals. All detectors are/will be deployed in the neutron-quiet area of the SNS target building 20-30 m from the neutrino source. A definitive observation of this process requires detection of low-energy nuclear recoil events on a variety of targets so as to demonstrate the characteristic N2 dependence of the CEvNS cross section. More precise measurements of CEvNS from ton-scale detectors will provide insight on additional topics such as: non-standard interactions, supernovae, nuclear form-factors, and dark matter. The physics motivation and the discovery of the CEvNS process will be presented along with current status and future plans of the COHERENT experiment. |
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 9:00PM - 9:15PM |
CN.00008: First Results from a CEvNS Search with the CENNS-10 Liquid Argon Detector Matthew R Heath For the COHERENT Collaboration: The COHERENT experiment recently observed Coherent Elastic Neutrino Nucleus Scattering (CEvNS) at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Lab at the 6.7$\sigma$ level with 14 kg of CsI commissioned in June 2015. COHERENT is intending to measure CEvNS on multiple nuclei to verify the $N^{2}$ dependence of the CEvNS cross section. To that end, the roughly 30 kg single phase liquid argon detector CENNS-10 was commissioned in December 2016. CENNS-10 will provide a much lighter nucleus for CEvNS scattering, allowing COHERENT to begin to map out the low $N$ dependence of the CEvNS cross section. In this talk I will present preliminary results of the initial liquid argon run covering Dec. 2016 - May 2017 as well as a brief look at the current and future liquid argon program for COHERENT. |
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 9:15PM - 9:30PM |
CN.00009: Observation of Supernova Neutrino Bursts via CEvNS Kate Scholberg, Adryanna Smith Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) is a neutral-current process in which a neutrino scatters off an entire nucleus, depositing a tiny recoil energy. The process is important in core-collapse supernovae and also presents an opportunity for detection of a burst of core-collapse supernova neutrinos in low-threshold detectors designed for dark matter detection. This talk will cover prospects for supernova burst detection via CEvNS in existing and future large detectors. |
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 9:30PM - 9:45PM |
CN.00010: A Ton-Scale NaI Detector to Measure Coherent Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering and the Charged Current Neutrino Interaction on Iodine Diane M Markoff For the COHERENT Collaboration. The COHERENT collaboration is measuring coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) on various nuclei in several detector systems located at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), in Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). CEvNS is well calculated in the standard model with a predicted neutron number (N) dependence that will be compared to measured values. The CEvNS rate is important in supernova processes and serves as a background for direct dark-matter searches. The collaboration plans to deploy a ton-scale NaI[Tl] scintillation crystal based detector and a larger array in the future. The large-mass NaI[Tl] detector has the promise to simultaneously measure both CEvNS and the charged current neutrino interaction cross section on I-127, which is sensitive to g$_A$ quenching. Shielding requirements and space limitations constrain the modular detector design. Measuring both high and low-energy signals requires a dual-gain phhotomultiplier tube base redesign. Extensive neutron background measurements, studies from the NaI-185kg prototype currently deployed at the SNS and multiple simulations contribute to the shielding design. The ton-scale NaI detector development will be presented. |
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