PROSPECT - A precision oscillation and spectrum experiment

TL;DR

PROSPECT is a novel experiment utilizing segmented lithium-loaded liquid scintillator detectors near a research reactor to investigate short-baseline neutrino oscillations and measure the reactor antineutrino spectrum with improved background rejection.

Contribution

It introduces a new detector technology with lithium-loaded scintillator and pulse shape discrimination for precise antineutrino detection at short baselines.

Findings

Enhanced background rejection capabilities demonstrated

Potential to detect short-baseline neutrino oscillations

High-precision reactor antineutrino spectrum measurement

Abstract

Segmented antineutrino detectors placed near a compact research reactor provide an excellent opportunity to probe short-baseline neutrino oscillations and precisely measure the reactor antineutrino spectrum. Close proximity to a reactor combined with minimal overburden yield a high background environment that must be managed through shielding and detector technology. PROSPECT is a new experimental effort to detect reactor antineutrinos from the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy. The detector will use novel lithium-loaded liquid scintillator capable of neutron/gamma pulse shape discrimination and neutron capture tagging. These enhancements improve the ability to identify neutrino inverse-beta decays and reject background events in analysis. Results from these efforts will be covered along with their implications for an oscillation search and a precision spectrum measurement.