Getting the Most Neutrinos out of IsoDAR

TL;DR

This paper explores modifications to the IsoDAR neutrino source setup using simulations, demonstrating potential increases in antineutrino yield by up to 50% and reducing the need for high-purity lithium.

Contribution

It introduces three proposed modifications to the standard IsoDAR setup and evaluates their impact through detailed simulations.

Findings

Modifications can boost antineutrino yield by up to 50%.

Replacing pure 7Li with compounds reduces high-purity lithium requirements.

Adding a gap between target and converter decreases neutron bounce-back.

Abstract

Several experimental collaborations worldwide intend to test sterile neutrino models by measuring the disappearance of antineutrinos produced via isotope decay at rest (IsoDAR). The most advanced of these proposals have very similar setups, in which a proton beam strikes a target yielding neutrons which are absorbed by a high isotopic purity 7Li converter, yielding 8Li whose resulting decay yields the antineutrinos. In this note, we use FLUKA and GEANT4 simulations to investigate three proposed modifications of this standard proposal. In the first, the 7Li is replaced with 7Li compounds including a deuterium moderator. In the second, a gap is placed between the target and the converter to reduce the neutron bounce-back. Finally, we consider cooling the converter with liquid nitrogen. We find that these modifications can increase the antineutrino yield by as much as 50 percent. The first also substantially reduces the quantity of high purity 7Li which is needed.