84 research outputs found
Improved Measurement of the Evolution of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay
Reactor neutrino experiments play a crucial role in advancing our knowledge
of neutrinos. A precise measurement of reactor electron antineutrino flux and
spectrum evolution can be key inputs in improving the knowledge of neutrino
mass and mixing as well as reactor nuclear physics and searching for physics
beyond the standard model. In this work, the evolution of the flux and spectrum
as a function of the reactor isotopic content is reported in terms of the
inverse-beta-decay yield at Daya Bay with 1958 days of data and improved
systematic uncertainties. These measurements are compared with two signature
model predictions: the Huber-Mueller model based on the conversion method and
the SM2018 model based on the summation method. The measured average flux and
spectrum, as well as their evolution with the 239Pu fraction, are inconsistent
with the predictions of the Huber-Mueller model. In contrast, the SM2018 model
is shown to agree with the average flux and its evolution but fails to describe
the energy spectrum. Altering the predicted IBD spectrum from 239Pu does not
improve the agreement with the measurement for either model. The models can be
brought into better agreement with the measurements if either the predicted
spectrum due to 235U is changed or the predicted 235U, 238U, 239Pu, and 241Pu
spectra are changed in equal measure
Ellipsometric measurements of the refractive indices of linear alkylbenzene and EJ-301 scintillators from 210 to 1000 nm
We report on ellipsometric measurements of the refractive indices of LAB-PPO,
Nd-doped LAB-PPO and EJ-301 scintillators to the nearest +/-0.005, in the
wavelength range 210-1000 nm.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Experimental Status of Neutrino Physics
After a fascinating phase of discoveries, neutrino physics still has a few
mysteries such as the absolute mass scale, the mass hierarchy, the existence of
CP violation in the lepton sector and the existence of right-handed neutrinos.
It is also entering a phase of precision measurements. This is what motivates
the NUFACT 11 conference which prepares the future of long baseline neutrino
experiments. In this paper, we report the status of experimental neutrino
physics. We focus mainly on absolute mass measurements, oscillation parameters
and future plans for oscillation experiments
UV Degradation of the Optical Properties of Acrylic for Neutrino and Dark Matter Experiments
UV-transmitting (UVT) acrylic is a commonly used light-propagating material
in neutrino and dark matter detectors as it has low intrinsic radioactivity and
exhibits low absorption in the detectors' light producing regions, from 350 nm
to 500 nm. Degradation of optical transmittance in this region lowers light
yields in the detector, which can affect energy reconstruction, resolution, and
experimental sensitivities. We examine transmittance loss as a result of short-
and long-term UV exposure for a variety of UVT acrylic samples from a number of
acrylic manufacturers. Significant degradation peaking at 343 nm was observed
in some UVT acrylics with as little as three hours of direct sunlight, while
others exhibited softer degradation peaking at 310 nm over many days of
exposure to sunlight. Based on their measured degradation results, safe time
limits for indoor and outdoor UV exposure of UVT acrylic are formulated.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables; To be submitted to Journal of
Instrumentatio
First hint for CP violation in neutrino oscillations from upcoming superbeam and reactor experiments
We compare the physics potential of the upcoming neutrino oscillation
experiments Daya Bay, Double Chooz, NOvA, RENO, and T2K based on their
anticipated nominal luminosities and schedules. After discussing the
sensitivity to theta_{13} and the leading atmospheric parameters, we
demonstrate that leptonic CP violation will hardly be measurable without
upgrades of the T2K and NOvA proton drivers, even if theta_{13} is large. In
the presence of the proton drivers, the fast track to hints for CP violation
requires communication between the T2K and NOvA collaborations in terms of a
mutual synchronization of their neutrino-antineutrino run plans. Even in that
case, upgrades will only discover CP violation in a relatively small part of
the parameter space at the 3 sigma confidence level, while 90% confidence level
hints will most likely be obtained. Therefore, we conclude that a new facility
will be required if the goal is to obtain a significant result with high
probability.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figure
Common Origin of Soft mu-tau and CP Breaking in Neutrino Seesaw and the Origin of Matter
Neutrino oscillation data strongly support mu-tau symmetry as a good
approximate flavor symmetry of the neutrino sector, which has to appear in any
viable theory for neutrino mass-generation. The mu-tau breaking is not only
small, but also the source of Dirac CP-violation. We conjecture that both
discrete mu-tau and CP symmetries are fundamental symmetries of the seesaw
Lagrangian (respected by interaction terms), and they are only softly broken,
arising from a common origin via a unique dimension-3 Majorana mass-term of the
heavy right-handed neutrinos. From this conceptually attractive and simple
construction, we can predict the soft mu-tau breaking at low energies, leading
to quantitative correlations between the apparently two small deviations
\theta_{23} - 45^o and \theta_{13} - 0^o. This nontrivially connects the
on-going measurements of mixing angle \theta_{23} with the upcoming
experimental probes of \theta_{13}. We find that any deviation of \theta_{23} -
45^o must put a lower limit on \theta_{13}. Furthermore, we deduce the low
energy Dirac and Majorana CP violations from a common soft-breaking phase
associated with mu-tau breaking in the neutrino seesaw. Finally, from the soft
CP breaking in neutrino seesaw we derive the cosmological CP violation for the
baryon asymmetry via leptogenesis. We fully reconstruct the leptogenesis
CP-asymmetry from the low energy Dirac CP phase and establish a direct link
between the cosmological CP-violation and the low energy Jarlskog invariant. We
predict new lower and upper bounds on the \theta_{13} mixing angle, 1^o <
\theta_{13} < 6^o. In addition, we reveal a new hidden symmetry that dictates
the solar mixing angle \theta_12 by its group-parameter, and includes the
conventional tri-bimaximal mixing as a special case, allowing deviations from
it.Comment: 60pp, JCAP in Press, v2: only minor stylistic refinements (added Daya
Bay's future sensitivity in Figs.2+8, shortened some eqs, added new
Appendix-A and some references), comments are welcome
Target Mass Monitoring and Instrumentation in the Daya Bay Antineutrino Detectors
The Daya Bay experiment measures sin^2 2{\theta}_13 using functionally
identical antineutrino detectors located at distances of 300 to 2000 meters
from the Daya Bay nuclear power complex. Each detector consists of three nested
fluid volumes surrounded by photomultiplier tubes. These volumes are coupled to
overflow tanks on top of the detector to allow for thermal expansion of the
liquid. Antineutrinos are detected through the inverse beta decay reaction on
the proton-rich scintillator target. A precise and continuous measurement of
the detector's central target mass is achieved by monitoring the the fluid
level in the overflow tanks with cameras and ultrasonic and capacitive sensors.
In addition, the monitoring system records detector temperature and levelness
at multiple positions. This monitoring information allows the precise
determination of the detectors' effective number of target protons during data
taking. We present the design, calibration, installation and in-situ tests of
the Daya Bay real-time antineutrino detector monitoring sensors and readout
electronics.Comment: 22 pages, 20 figures; accepted by JINST. Changes in v2: minor
revisions to incorporate editorial feedback from JINS
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