Reactor Neutrino Experiments: Present and Future

TL;DR

Reactor neutrino experiments have evolved significantly, enabling precise measurements and advancing understanding of neutrino properties, with future experiments like JUNO aiming to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy.

Contribution

This paper reviews the historical development, current state, and future prospects of reactor neutrino experiments, highlighting technological advances and experimental challenges.

Findings

Current experiments have achieved high-precision neutrino measurements.

Technological innovations have enhanced detector capabilities.

Next-generation experiments aim to resolve the neutrino mass hierarchy.

Abstract

Reactor neutrinos have been an important tool for both discovery and precision measurement in the history of neutrino studies. Since the first generation of reactor neutrino experiments in the 1950s, the detector technology has been greatly advanced. New ideas, new knowledge, and modern software also enhanced the power of the experiments. The current reactor neutrino experiments, Daya Bay, Double Chooz, and RENO have led neutrino physics into the precision era. In this article, we will review these developments and accumulations, address the key issues in designing a state-of-art reactor neutrino experiment, and explain how the challenging requirements of determining the neutrino mass hierarchy with the next generation experiment JUNO could be realized in the near future.