Reactor Neutrino Experiments: $\theta_{13}$ and Beyond

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent reactor neutrino experiments that confirmed a sizable $ heta_{13}$ angle, enabling new research avenues including precision measurements of neutrino parameters and determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy.

Contribution

It summarizes current and upcoming reactor neutrino experiments, highlighting their roles in advancing neutrino physics beyond previous capabilities.

Findings

Confirmed non-zero $ heta_{13}$ angle.

First measurement of $ riangle m^2_{ee}$ by Daya Bay.

JUNO aims to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy.

Abstract

We review the current-generation short-baseline reactor neutrino experiments that have firmly established the third neutrino mixing angle $\theta_{13}$ to be non-zero. The relative large value of $\theta_{13}$ (around 9$^\circ$) has opened many new and exciting opportunities for future neutrino experiments. Daya Bay experiment with the first measurement of $\Delta m^2_{ee}$ is aiming for a precision measurement of this atmospheric mass-squared splitting with a comparable precision as $\Delta m^2_{\mu\mu}$ from accelerator muon neutrino experiments. JUNO, a next-generation reactor neutrino experiment, is targeting to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy with medium baselines ($\sim$50 km). Beside these {\color{black} opportunities enabled by the large $\theta_{13}$}, the current-generation (Daya Bay, Double Chooz, and RENO) and the next-generation (JUNO, RENO-50, and PROSPECT) reactor experiments, with their unprecedented statistics, are also leading the precision era of the 3-flavor neutrino oscillation physics as well as constraining new physics beyond the neutrino Standard Model.