The PROSPECT Reactor Neutrino Experiment

Published

April 1, 2019

Author(s)

Hans Pieter Mumm, Denis E. Bergeron, Mark Tyra, Jerome LaRosa, Svetlana Nour

Abstract

The Precision Reactor Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment, PROSPECT, is designed to make both a precise measurement of the antineutrino spectrum from a highly-enriched uranium reactor and to probe eV-scale sterile neutrinos by searching for neutrino oscillations over multiple baselines. PROSPECT utilizes a segmented 6Li-doped liquid scintillator detector for both efficient detection of reactor antineutrinos through the inverse beta decay reaction and excellent background discrimination. PROSPECT consists of a movable 4-ton antineutrino detector covering distances of 7 m to 13 m from the reactor core. It will probe the best-fit point of the nue_e disappearance experiments at 4-sigma in 1 year and the favored regions of the sterile neutrino parameter space at >3-sigma in 3 years. The measurement of the reactor antineutrino spectrum and the search for short-baseline oscillations with PROSPECT will test the origin of spectral deviations observed in recent theta_13 experiments, search for sterile neutrinos, and address the hypothesis of sterile neutrinos as an explanation of the reactor anomaly. This paper describes the design, construction, and commissioning of PROSPECT and reports first data characterizing the performance of the PROSPECT antineutrino detector.

Citation

Nuclear Instruments & Methods A

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2018.12.079

Local Download

Keywords

PROSPECT, antineutrion detector, neutrinos

Citation

, H. , , D. , Tyra, M. , LaRosa, J. and Nour, S. (2019), The PROSPECT Reactor Neutrino Experiment, Nuclear Instruments & Methods A, [online], https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2018.12.079, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=926282 (Accessed November 8, 2024)