First constraints on the coherent elastic scattering of reactor antineutrinos off xenon nuclei

TL;DR

This study used a liquid xenon detector near a nuclear reactor to search for coherent elastic scattering of reactor antineutrinos off xenon nuclei, setting new constraints on this interaction.

Contribution

First experimental constraints on reactor antineutrino coherent elastic scattering off xenon nuclei using a two-phase xenon detector.

Findings

No statistically significant excess observed.

Set new upper limits on the scattering cross section.

Demonstrated feasibility of using xenon detectors for neutrino interactions.

Abstract

RED-100 is a two-phase emission detector with an active volume containing 126~kg of liquid xenon. The detector was exposed to the antineutrino flux of about $1.4 \cdot 10^{13}~$cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ at a distance of 19~m from the 3.1~GW Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) reactor core. The comparison of data from 331~kg$\cdot$days with the reactor on and 106~kg$\cdot$days with the reactor off shows no statistically significant excess and allows to put constraints on coherent elastic interactions of antineutrinos with xenon nuclei.