Experimental parameters for a Cerium 144 based intense electron antineutrino generator experiment at very short baselines

Abstract

The standard three-neutrino oscillation paradigm, associated with small squared mass splittings ∆m 2 0.1 eV 2 , has been successfully built up over the last 15 years using solar, atmospheric, long baseline accelerator and reactor neutrino experiments. However, this well-established picture might suffer from anomalous results reported at very short baselines in some of these experiments. If not experimental artifacts, such results could possibly be interpreted as the existence of at least an additional fourth sterile neutrino species, mixing with the known active flavors with an associated mass splitting ∆m 2 new 0.01 eV 2 , and being insensitive to standard weak interactions. Precision measurements at very short baselines (5-15 m) with intense MeVνe emitters can be used to probe these anomalies. In this article, the expectedνe signal and backgrounds of a generic experiment which consists of deploying an intense β − radioactive source inside or in the vicinity of a large liquid scintillator detector are studied. The technical challenges to perform such an experiment are identified, along with quantifying the possible source and detector induced systematics, and their impact on the sensitivity to the observation of neutrino oscillations at short baselines.

The SOX experiment hunts the sterile neutrino

“…The 144 Ce − 144 Pr pair is well suitable for SOX [19] since the Ce lifetime τ Ce = 411 days is long enough for the transportation and the data taking and the antineutrinos emitted by the 144 Pr beta-decay (with short lifetime τ Pr = 24.94 min), have an end-point energy of 3 MeV, higher the Borexino threshold of 1.8 MeV (see section 3).…”

SOX : Short Distance Neutrino Oscillations with Borexino

“…An intense search has been done to find the ideal isotope for a radioactive antineutrino source [8]. A long life time for the production, transportation and the measurement itself is needed, as well as a high Q-value to observe a high fraction above 1.8 MeV -the energy threshold of their detection reaction: the inverse beta decay (IBD).…”

SOX and light sterile neutrinos

“…Fig. 2, taken from [9], shows the very specific dependence of the event count rate upon the distance from the source and upon the anti-neutrino energy. Such a pattern may prove the existence of oscillations to the sterile partner beyond any reasonable doubt.…”