Neutrino Oscillometry

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel method for measuring neutrino oscillation parameters using low-energy monoenergetic neutrinos and electron recoil detection, enabling precise measurements within a single detector despite low event rates.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of neutrino oscillometry with low-energy sources, detailing detector designs and source options to improve measurement accuracy of neutrino oscillation parameters.

Findings

Oscillation length can be fully observed inside the detector.

Potential to improve limits on the mixing angle theta13.

Design considerations for detectors and sources are discussed.

Abstract

Neutrino oscillations are studied employing sources of low energy monoenergetic neutrinos following electron capture by the nucleus and measuring electron recoils. Since the neutrino energy is very low the oscillation length appearing in this electronic neutrino disappearance experiment can be so small that the full oscillation can take place inside the detector. Thus one may determine very accurately all the neutrino oscillation parameters. In particular one can measure or set a better limit on the unknown parameter theta13. One, however, has to pay the price that the expected counting rates are very small. Thus one needs a very intensive neutrino source and a large detector with as low as possible energy threshold and high energy and position resolution. Both spherical gaseous and cylindrical liquid detectors are studied. Different source candidates are considered