The JUNO water Cherenkov detector system

Abstract

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a 20 kton liquid scintillator detector with the primary physics goal of the neutrino mass ordering determination. The detector will be built in a laboratory 650-m underground. The pool is filled with 34 kton ultrapure water outside the central detector as a water Cherenkov detector for cosmic muon detection. 2400 MCP-PMTs detect the water Cherenkov light produced by cosmic muons. The inner surface of the water veto is covered with a Tyvek reflector to increase the light collection efficiency. A water system is used for water purification and circulation to maintain high water quality for optimal detector performance. A set of radon removal equipment will be integrated with the water system to reduce the radon-induced background in the central detector. Based on prototype studies, the radon concentration in water could be reduced to less than 10 mBq/m3. The cosmic muon detection efficiency of the water Cherenkov detector can reach 99.5%. With this veto system, the cosmic muon-induced fast neutron background can also be reduced to the level of about ∼0.1/day level.