Optimizing Sterile Neutrino Searches: Impact of Position Resolution in Short-Baseline Reactor Experiments

TL;DR

This study evaluates how position resolution affects the sensitivity of short-baseline reactor experiments searching for sterile neutrinos, highlighting the advantages of opaque liquid scintillator detectors with superior resolution.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of segmented and OLS detectors, demonstrating the enhanced sensitivity of OLS technology for sterile neutrino searches.

Findings

OLS detectors outperform segmented detectors in sensitivity

Position resolution significantly impacts oscillation detection capabilities

OLS technology remains effective under conservative assumptions

Abstract

The impact of position resolution on the sensitivity of short-baseline reactor neutrino experiments searching for light sterile neutrinos is investigated. Detailed simulations are conducted to evaluate two detector configurations: a segmented detector and an opaque liquid scintillator (OLS) detector, each positioned at two candidate research reactor sites, HANARO and Kijang. For both detector types, pseudo-data are generated under realistic assumptions regarding neutrino flux, detector response, and background levels. Oscillation analyses are performed to estimate detector sensitivity, incorporating both statistical and systematic uncertainties. The results indicate that the OLS detector, owing to its superior position resolution, achieves leading sensitivity across a wide range of oscillation parameters, even under conservative experimental conditions. These findings underscore the potential of OLS technology as a highly effective approach for future sterile neutrino searches.