Precision neutrino oscillation physics with an intermediate baseline reactor neutrino experiment

Abstract

We discuss the physics potential of intermediate L ∼ 20 ÷ 30 km baseline experiments at reactor facilities, assuming that the solar neutrino oscillation parameters ∆m 2 ⊙ and θ⊙ lie in the high-LMA solution region. We show that such an intermediate baseline reactor experiment can determine both ∆m 2 ⊙ and θ⊙ with a remarkably high precision. We perform also a detailed study of the sensitivity of the indicated experiment to ∆m 2 atm , which drives the dominant atmospheric νµ (νµ) oscillations, and to θ -the neutrino mixing angle limited by the data from the CHOOZ and Palo Verde experiments. We find that this experiment can improve the bounds on sin 2 θ. If the value of sin 2 θ is large enough, sin 2 θ > ∼ 0.02, the energy resolution of the detector is sufficiently good and if the statistics is relatively high, it can determine with extremely high precision the value of ∆m 2 atm . We also explore the potential of the intermediate baseline reactor neutrino experiment for determining the type of the neutrino mass spectrum, which can be with normal or inverted hierarchy. We show that the conditions under which the type of neutrino mass hierarchy can be determined are quite challenging, but are within the reach of the experiment under discussion.

A novel approach to study atmospheric neutrino oscillation

“…The first could be achieved with a medium baseline reactor experiment [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] and long baseline accelerator experiments [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]44] could measure all three of them. Atmospheric neutrino experiments could offer alternative ways to accomplish the same.…”

Shedding light on LMA-dark solar neutrino solution by medium baseline reactor experiments: JUNO and RENO-50

“…The far detector with a fiducial mass of 18 kton will be located 47 km away. The potential of reactor neutrino experiments with a baseline of ∼ 50 km for determining the neutrino mass ordering has been extensively studied in the literature [11,[13][14][15][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. The main goal of JUNO and RENO-50 experiments is determining the sign of ∆m 2 31 .…”

“…Determining the neutrino mass hierarchy (i.e., normal vs inverted) and precision measurement of the solar mixing parameters θ 12 and ∆m 2 21 are the prime goals of these experiments [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] (see also [18][19][20][21][22][23][24]). Recently, we have shown that the data from these two experiments can also be employed to probe the superlight sterile neutrino scenario [25].…”

Precision measurement of oscillation parameters with reactors

“…On the other hand, if contrary to the trend emerging in the solar neutrino experiments, the next KamLAND spectral data conforms to a point in the high-LMA region, then we would need an intermediate baseline reactor experiment with L ∼ 20 − 30 km to get a SPMIN in the resultant spectrum. We have shown in [12] that an experimental set-up with an intermediate baseline of 20-30 km, a reactor with power of 5 GW and with 3 kTy of statistics, we can measure both ∆m 2 21 and sin 2 θ 12 down to the few percent level. The impact of systematic uncertainties, baseline, statistics and energy threshold of the detector was studied [12].…”

“…We have shown in [12] that an experimental set-up with an intermediate baseline of 20-30 km, a reactor with power of 5 GW and with 3 kTy of statistics, we can measure both ∆m 2 21 and sin 2 θ 12 down to the few percent level. The impact of systematic uncertainties, baseline, statistics and energy threshold of the detector was studied [12]. It was concluded that as long as the baseline and the energy threshold allowed the experiment to observe the SPMIN, θ 12 could be measured very accurately irrespective of the other conditions.…”