A new scheme for short baseline electron antineutrino disappearance study. (31st July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shin, Jae Won; Cheoun, Myung-Ki; Kajino, Toshitaka; Hayakawa, Takehito
• Is Part Of: Journal of physics. Volume 44:Number 9(2017:Sep.)
• Publication Date: 2017-07-31
• Subjects: short baseline neutrino disappearance -- electron antineutrino source -- sterile neutrinos; 26.65.+t -- 14.60.Pq -- 24.10.Lx -- 02.70.Uu; Nuclear physics -- Periodicals; Particles (Nuclear physics) -- Periodicals; Physique nucléaire -- Périodiques; Particules (Physique nucléaire) -- Périodiques; Kernfysica; Elementaire deeltjes; 539.7
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6471/aa809e
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0954-3899

Abstract

Abstract: A new scheme for the short baseline electron antineutrino ( ν ̄ e ) disappearance study is investigated. We propose to use an intense neutron emitter, 252 Cf, which produces a 8 Li isotope through the 7 Li(n, γ ) 8 Li reaction; 8 Li is a ν ̄ e emitter via β − decay. Because this ν ̄ e source needs neither accelerator nor reactor facilities, the ν ̄ e can be placed on any neutrino detector as closely as possible. This short baseline circumstance with a suitable detector enables us to study the existence of possible sterile neutrinos, in particular, on 1 eV mass scale. Also, complementary comparison studies among different neutrino detectors can become feasible by using ν ̄ e from the 8 Li source. As an example, applications to hemisphere and cylinder shape scintillator detectors are performed in detail with the expectation signal modification by the sterile neutrino. Sensitivities to mass and mixing angles of sterile neutrinos are also presented for comparison with those of other neutrino experiments.