Abstract
What is new in the field of neutrino detection? In addition to new projects probing both the low and high ends of the neutrino energy scale, an inexpensive, effective technique is being developed to allow tagging of antineutrinos in water Cherenkov (WC) detectors via the addition to water of a solute with a large neutron cross-section and energetic γ daughters. Gadolinium is an excellent candidate since in recent years it has become very inexpensive, now less than $8 per kilogram in the form of commercially available gadolinium trichloride. This non-toxic, non-reactive substance is highly soluble in water. Neutron capture on gadolinium yields an 8.0 MeV gamma cascade easily seen in detectors like Super-Kamiokande. The uses of GdCl3 as a possible upgrade for the Super-Kamiokande detector — with a view toward improving its performance as an antineutrino detector for supernova neutrinos and reactor neutrinos — are discussed, as are the ongoing R&D efforts which aim to make this dream a reality within the next two years.
Highlights
There are a number of interesting new projects under construction around the world which will extend our understanding of neutrinos
As neutron capture on gadolinium produces an 8.0 MeV gamma cascade, the inverse beta decay reaction, νe + p → e+ + n in such a modified Super-K will yield coincident positron and neutron capture signals. This will allow a large reduction in backgrounds and greatly enhance the detector’s response to both supernova neutrinos and reactor antineutrinos
Would cost no more than $500,000 today, though it would have cost $400,000,000 back when SK was first designed. We propose calling this new project ‘GADZOOKS!’ In addition to being an expression of surprise, here’s what it stands for: Gadolinium Antineutrino Detector Zealously Outperforming Old Kamiokande, Super!
Summary
There are a number of interesting new projects under construction around the world which will extend our understanding of neutrinos. It is not a complete list of every new or proposed project, but rather indicates some of the interesting new developments in neutrino detection which we can expect to see in the few years. The DSNB could provide a steady stream of information about stellar collapse and nucleosynthesis and the evolving size, speed, and nature of the Universe itself What is more, these relic supernova neutrinos travel, on average, six billion lightyears before reaching the Earth – certainly the ultimate long baseline for studies of neutrino decay and the like. A much larger, future detector like the proposed Hyper-Kamiokande [2] would, with coincident neutron detection, collect a sample of relic supernova neutrino events equal to what was seen seventeen years ago from SN1987A every month or so. How can neutron detection be made to work in very large water Cherenkov detectors such as these?
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