A Proposal for First-Ever Measurement of Coherent Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering

Winant, C D ; Bernstein, A ; Foxe, M P ; Hagmann, C A ; Jovanovic, I ; Kazkaz, K M ; Stoeffl, W S

关键词: ARGON;    ATOMIC NUMBER;    DETECTION;    IONIZATION;    LINEAR ACCELERATORS;    NEUTRINOS;    NEUTRON SOURCES;    NEUTRONS;    NUCLEI;    SCATTERING;    SENSITIVITY;    SPECTRA;    STANDARD MODEL;    TARGETS;    X-RAY SOURCES;   

DOI  :  10.2172/926015
RP-ID  :  LLNL-TR-401214
PID  :  OSTI ID: 926015
Others  :  TRN: US0802522

学科分类：核物理和高能物理

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

We propose to build and deploy a 10-kg dual-phase argon ionization detector for the detection of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering, which is described by the reaction; {nu} + (Z,N) {yields} {nu} + (Z,N), where {nu} is the scattering neutrino, and (Z,N) is the target nucleus of atomic number Z and neutron number N. Its detection would validate central tenets of the Standard Model. We have built a gas-phase argon ionization detector to determine the feasibility of measuring the small recoil energies ({approx} 1keV) predicted from coherent neutrino scattering, and to characterize the recoil spectrum of the argon nuclei induced by scattering from medium-energy neutrons. We present calibrations made with 55-Fe, a low-energy X-ray source, and report on measurements to date of the recoil spectra from the 2-MeV LINAC Li-target neutron source at LLNL. A high signal-to-noise measurement of the recoil spectrum will not only serve as an important milestone in achieving the sensitivity necessary for measuring coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering, but will break new scientific ground on its own.