Abstract
The spectral shape of reactor antineutrinos measured in recent experiments shows anomalies in comparison to neutrino reference spectra. New precision measurements of the reactor neutrino spectra as well as more complete input in nuclear data bases are needed to resolve the observed discrepancies between models and experimental results. This article proposes the combination of experiments at reactors which are highly enriched in ${}^{235}$U with commercial reactors with typically lower enrichment to gain new insights into the origin of the anomalous neutrino spectrum. The presented method clarifies, if the spectral anomaly is either solely or not at all related to the predicted ${}^{235}$U spectrum. Considering the current improvements of the energy scale uncertainty of present-day experiments, a significance of three sigma and above can be reached. As an example, we discuss the option of a direct comparison of the measured shape in the currently running Double Chooz near detector and the upcoming Stereo experiment. A quantitative feasibility study emphasizes that a precise understanding of the energy scale systematics is a crucial prerequisite in recent and next generation experiments investigating the spectral anomaly.
Highlights
The spectral shape of reactor antineutrinos measured in recent experiments shows anomalies in comparison to neutrino reference spectra
Intense research in the past few years has brought new insights in the antineutrino spectra emitted by nuclear reactors
Direct measurements of the antineutrino spectra as well as their improved predictions were a product of the search for the non-zero neutrino mixing angle θ13 at the km-baseline reactor experiments Double Chooz [1], Daya Bay [2] and RENO [3]
Summary
The spectral shape of reactor antineutrinos measured in recent experiments shows anomalies in comparison to neutrino reference spectra. Direct measurements of the antineutrino spectra as well as their improved predictions were a product of the search for the non-zero neutrino mixing angle θ13 at the km-baseline reactor experiments Double Chooz [1], Daya Bay [2] and RENO [3]. The excess of events measured in the shoulder region of 5-7 MeV was found to be significant at 3 σ and correlated to the thermal power of the reactors [5].
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