37 research outputs found
Interpreting Reactor Antineutrino Anomalies with STEREO data
Anomalies in past neutrino measurements have led to the discovery that these
particles have non-zero mass and oscillate between their three flavors when
they propagate. In the 2010's, similar anomalies observed in the antineutrino
spectra emitted by nuclear reactors have triggered the hypothesis of the
existence of a supplementary neutrino state that would be sterile i.e. not
interacting via the weak interaction. The STEREO experiment was designed to
study this scientific case that would potentially extend the Standard Model of
Particle Physics. Here we present a complete study based on our full set of
data with significantly improved sensitivity. Installed at the ILL (Institut
Laue Langevin) research reactor, STEREO has accurately measured the
antineutrino energy spectrum associated to the fission of 235U. This
measurement confirms the anomalies whereas, thanks to the segmentation of the
STEREO detector and its very short mean distance to the core (10~m), the same
data reject the hypothesis of a light sterile neutrino. Such a direct
measurement of the antineutrino energy spectrum suggests instead that biases in
the nuclear experimental data used for the predictions are at the origin of the
anomalies. Our result supports the neutrino content of the Standard Model and
establishes a new reference for the 235U antineutrino energy spectrum. We
anticipate that this result will allow to progress towards finer tests of the
fundamental properties of neutrinos but also to benchmark models and nuclear
data of interest for reactor physics and for observations of astrophysical or
geo-neutrinos.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figure
Improved FIFRELIN de-excitation model for neutrino applications
The precise modeling of the de-excitation of Gd isotopes is of great interest
for experimental studies of neutrinos using Gd-loaded organic liquid
scintillators. The FIFRELIN code was recently used within the purposes of the
STEREO experiment for the modeling of the Gd de-excitation after neutron
capture in order to achieve a good control of the detection efficiency. In this
work, we report on the recent additions in the FIFRELIN de-excitation model
with the purpose of enhancing further the de-excitation description.
Experimental transition intensities from EGAF database are now included in the
FIFRELIN cascades, in order to improve the description of the higher energy
part of the spectrum. Furthermore, the angular correlations between {\gamma}
rays are now implemented in FIFRELIN, to account for the relative anisotropies
between them. In addition, conversion electrons are now treated more precisely
in the whole spectrum range, while the subsequent emission of X rays is also
accounted for. The impact of the aforementioned improvements in FIFRELIN is
tested by simulating neutron captures in various positions inside the STEREO
detector. A repository of up-to-date FIFRELIN simulations of the Gd isotopes is
made available for the community, with the possibility of expanding for other
isotopes which can be suitable for different applications.Comment: Corrected typos on author names on arXiv metadat
Note on arXiv:2005.05301, 'Preparation of the Neutrino-4 experiment on search for sterile neutrino and the obtained results of measurements'
We comment on the claimed observation [arXiv:arXiv:2005.05301] of sterileneutrino oscillations by the Neutrino-4 collaboration. Such a claim, whichrequires the existence of a new fundamental particle, demands a level of rigorcommensurate with its impact. The burden lies with the Neutrino-4 collaborationto provide the information necessary to prove the validity of their claim tothe community. In this note, we describe aspects of both the data and analysismethod that might lead to an oscillation signature arising from a nullexperiment and describe additional information needed from the Neutrino-4collaboration to support the oscillation claim. Additionally, as opposed to theassertion made by the Neutrino-4 collaboration, we also show that the method of'coherent summation' using the parameter produces similar results to themethods used by the PROSPECT and the STEREO collaborations.<br
Sterile Neutrino Constraints from the STEREO Experiment with 66 Days of Reactor-On Data
The reactor antineutrino anomaly might be explained by the oscillation of reactor antineutrinos toward a sterile neutrino of eV mass. In order to explore this hypothesis, the STEREO experiment measures the antineutrino energy spectrum in six different detector cells covering baselines between 9 and 11 m from the compact core of the ILL research reactor. In this Letter, results from 66 days of reactor turned on and 138 days of reactor turned off are reported. A novel method to extract the antineutrino rates has been developed based on the distribution of the pulse shape discrimination parameter. The test of a new oscillation toward a sterile neutrino is performed by comparing ratios of cells, independent of absolute normalization and of the prediction of the reactor spectrum. The results are found to be compatible with the null oscillation hypothesis and the best fit of the reactor antineutrino anomaly is excluded at 97.5% C.L
STEREO neutrino spectrum of <sup>235</sup>U fission rejects sterile neutrino hypothesis
Anomalies in past neutrino measurements have led to the discovery that these particles have non-zero mass and oscillate between their three flavours when they propagate. In the 2010s, similar anomalies observed in the antineutrino spectra emitted by nuclear reactors have triggered the hypothesis of the existence of a supplementary neutrino state that would be sterile, that is, not interacting by means of the weak interaction1. The STEREO experiment was designed to investigate this conjecture, which would potentially extend the standard model of particle physics. Here we present an analysis of the full set of data generated by STEREO, confirming observed anomalies while rejecting the hypothesis of a light sterile neutrino. Installed at the Institut Laue–Langevin (ILL) research reactor, STEREO accurately measures the antineutrino energy spectrum associated to the fission of 235U. The segmentation of the detector and its very short distance to the compact core are crucial properties of STEREO for our analysis. The measured antineutrino energy spectrum suggests that anomalies originate from biases in the nuclear experimental data used for the predictions. Our result supports the neutrino content of the standard model and establishes a new reference for the 235U antineutrino energy spectrum. We anticipate that this result will allow progress towards finer tests of the fundamental properties of neutrinos but also to benchmark models and nuclear data of interest for reactor physics and for observations of astrophysical or geoneutrinos
Sterile Neutrino Constraints from the STEREO Experiment with 66 Days of Reactor-On Data
International audienceThe reactor antineutrino anomaly might be explained by the oscillation of reactor antineutrinos toward a sterile neutrino of eV mass. In order to explore this hypothesis, the STEREO experiment measures the antineutrino energy spectrum in six different detector cells covering baselines between 9 and 11Â m from the compact core of the ILL research reactor. In this Letter, results from 66Â days of reactor turned on and 138Â days of reactor turned off are reported. A novel method to extract the antineutrino rates has been developed based on the distribution of the pulse shape discrimination parameter. The test of a new oscillation toward a sterile neutrino is performed by comparing ratios of cells, independent of absolute normalization and of the prediction of the reactor spectrum. The results are found to be compatible with the null oscillation hypothesis and the best fit of the reactor antineutrino anomaly is excluded at 97.5%Â C.L