Lithium-loaded liquid scintillator production for the PROSPECT experiment

Ashenfelter, J.; Balantekin, A. B.; Band, H. R.; Bass, C.D.; Bergeron, Denis E.; Berish, D.; Bignell, L.J.; Bowden, N. S.; Brodsky, J.; Bryan, C. D.; Reyes, C. Camilo; Campos, S. D.; Cherwinka, J. J.; Classen, T.; Conant, A.J.; Davee, D.; Dean, D. J.; Deichert, G.; Pérez, Rúben; Diwan, M. V.; Dolinski, M. J.; Erickson, Anna; Febbraro, M.; Foust, B.T.; Gaison, Jeremy; Galindo-Uribarri, A.; Gilbert, C. E.; Hackett, B.; Hans, S.; Hansell, A. B.; Hayes, B.; Heeger, K. M.; Insler, J.; Jaffe, D. E.; Jones, D.; Kyzylova, O.; Lane, C.; Langford, T.; LaRosa, J.; Littlejohn, B. R.; Lu, Xiaoying; Caicedo, D. A. Martínez; Matta, J. T.; McKeown, R. D.; Mendenhall, M. P.; Mueller, P. E.; Mumm, H. P.; Napolitano, J.; Neilson, R.; Nikkel, J.; Norcini, D.; Nour, S.; Pushin, D. A.; Qian, X.; Romero-Romero, E.; Rosero, R.; Surukuchi, P. T.; Tyra, M. A.; Varner, R. L.; Viren, B.; White, C.; Wilhelmi, J.; Wise, T.; Yeh, M.; Yen, Y.-R.; Zhang, A.; Zhang, C.; Zhang, X.

doi:10.1088/1748-0221/14/03/p03026

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(25 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The coincidence of the two events is a key selection criteria for extracting neutrinos generated through IBD from other backgrounds. In order to reduce the time difference between the prompt and delayed events (due to the positron and the neutron respectively), a dopant with a higher thermal neutron capture cross section can such as lithium or chlorine, have also been used in previous experiments [18,19].…”

Section: Neutrinos From the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plantmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water-based Liquid Scintillator detector as a new technology testbed for neutrino studies in Turkey

Fischer

Tiras

2020

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study investigates the deployment of a medium-scale neutrino detector near Turkey's first nuclear power plant, the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. The aim of this detector is to become a modular testbed for new technologies in the fields of new detection media and innovative photosensors. Such technologies include Water-based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS), Large Area Picosecond Photo-Detectors (LAPPDs), dichroic Winston cones, and large area silicon photomultiplier modules. The detector could be used for instantaneous monitoring of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant via its antineutrino flux. In addition to its physics and technological goals, it would be an invaluable opportunity for the nuclear and particle physics community in Turkey to play a role in the development of next generation of particle detectors in the field of neutrino physics.

show abstract

Section: Neutrinos From the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plantmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water-based Liquid Scintillator detector as a new technology testbed for neutrino studies in Turkey

Fischer

Tiras

2020

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…PROSPECT uses inverse beta decay (IBD), ν e + p → β + + n, to detect ν e within a 4-tonne 6 Li-loaded liquid scintillator ( 6 LiLS) target divided into an 11x14 array of optically isolated rectangular segments [33][34][35]. The measured energy of β + ionization and annihilation, or prompt signal, carries the ν e energy information.…”

Section: Arxiv:181210877v2 [Nucl-ex] 28 Jun 2019mentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement of the Antineutrino Spectrum from U235 Fission at HFIR with PROSPECT

Ashenfelter¹,

Balantekin²,

Band³

et al. 2019

Phys. Rev. Lett.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This Letter reports the first measurement of the 235 U νe energy spectrum by PROSPECT, the Precision Reactor Oscillation and Spectrum experiment, operating 7.9 m from the 85 MW th highly-enriched uranium (HEU) High Flux Isotope Reactor. With a surface-based, segmented detector, PROSPECT has observed 31678 ± 304 (stat.) νe-induced inverse beta decays (IBD), the largest sample from HEU fission to date, 99 % of which are attributed to 235 U. Despite broad agreement, comparison of the Huber 235 U model to the measured spectrum produces a χ 2 /ndf = 51.4/31, driven primarily by deviations in two localized energy regions. The measured 235 U spectrum shape is consistent with a deviation relative to prediction equal in size to that observed at low-enriched uranium power reactors in the νe energy region of 5-7 MeV.Reactor ν e experiments have been central to the understanding of neutrinos, including the first observation of ν e [1], the discovery of ν e oscillations [2], observation of ν e produced within the Earth [3], and the measurement of the neutrino mixing angle θ 13 [4][5][6]. Most of these experiments were located at low-enriched uranium (LEU) nuclear power reactors where more than 99 % of emitted ν e come from the beta decay of fission products of four isotopes ( 235 U, 238 U, 239 Pu, and 241 Pu). At power reactors, the emitted ν e flux and spectrum evolve over time as the isotopic composition changes in the fuel cycle. Comparisons between theoretical predictions and experimental results reveal a ∼6 % global flux deficit [7-10] and disagreement of the energy spectrum [11][12][13][14] and flux-evolution [15,16]. Explanations for these possibly independent phenomena may lie in the complex nuclear physics of reactors [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24], physics beyond the Standard Model such as eV-scale sterile neutrinos [8], or both [25-27]. New experiments at compact-core, highly enriched uranium (HEU) research reactors enable short baseline searches for sterile neutrino oscillations and the measurement of the nearly time-independent emission of ν e from 235 U fission [28][29][30]. PROSPECT has recently reported a search for sterile neutrinos at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) [31]. This Letter reports the first measurement of the ν e energy spectrum from HFIR by the PROSPECT experiment and the higheststatistics 235 U spectral measurement since the ILL experiment observed ∼5000 ν e candidates in 1981 [32].Located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, HFIR is an 85 megawatt thermal (MW th ) HEU research reactor. The cylindrical reactor core (diameter: 0.435 m, height: 0.508 m) contains 93 % 235 U enriched fuel, leading to a ∼99 % 235 U fission fraction. Each 24-day operating cycle uses fresh fuel, minimizing 239 Pu and 241 Pu production. The PROSPECT detector is deployed in a ground-level room at a center-to-center distance of (7.9 ± 0.1) m from the reactor core. The core center is located 40°below the horizontal and the surrounding building provides less than one meter-water-equivalent of concrete overburden.

show abstract

“…Fig. 5 shows that the NEOS [24], and PROSPECT [25], and the sensitivity curves(right) of SoLiD [26], DANSS [27], and STEREO [28] are overlaid with AMoRE sensitivities. The yellow shades indicate 1σ region of the reactor antineutrino anomaly [36].…”

Section: M ββ With the 4th Neutrinomentioning

confidence: 99%

Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay and Light Sterile Neutrino

Jang

Kim

et al. 2018

J. Korean Phys. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent neutrino experiment results show a preference for the normal neutrino mass ordering.The global efforts to search for neutrinoless double beta decays undergo a broad gap with the approach to the prediction in the three-neutrino framework based on the normal ordering. This research is intended to show that it is possible to find a neutrinoless double beta decay signal even with normal ordered neutrino masses. We propose the existence of a light sterile neutrino as a solution to the higher effective mass of the electron neutrino expected by the current experiments.A few short-baseline oscillation experiments gave rise to a limit on the mass of the sterile neutrino and its mixing with the lightest neutrino. We demonstrate that the results of neutrinoless double beta decays can also narrow down the range of the mass and the mixing angle of the light sterile neutrino.

show abstract

Lithium-loaded liquid scintillator production for the PROSPECT experiment

Cited by 26 publications

References 11 publications

Water-based Liquid Scintillator detector as a new technology testbed for neutrino studies in Turkey

Water-based Liquid Scintillator detector as a new technology testbed for neutrino studies in Turkey

Measurement of the Antineutrino Spectrum from U235 Fission at HFIR with PROSPECT

Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay and Light Sterile Neutrino

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About