Science Potential of a Deep Ocean Antineutrino Observatory

TL;DR

This paper explores the scientific capabilities of a deep ocean antineutrino observatory near Hawaii, highlighting its potential for neutrino research, Earth's interior studies, and testing hypotheses about natural nuclear reactors in Earth's core.

Contribution

It proposes a relocatable deep ocean observatory design that can measure neutrino properties, Earth's mantle composition, and search for natural fission reactors, advancing neutrino and geophysical research.

Findings

Potential to measure neutrino mixing parameters with high precision.

Ability to determine Earth's uranium and thorium distribution.

Sensitivity to detect hypothetical natural fission reactors in Earth's core.

Abstract

This paper presents science potential of a deep ocean antineutrino observatory under development at Hawaii. The observatory design allows for relocation from one site to another. Positioning the observatory some 60 km distant from a nuclear reactor complex enables precision measurement of neutrino mixing parameters, leading to a determination of neutrino mass hierarchy. At a mid-Pacific location the observatory measures the flux and ratio of uranium and thorium decay neutrinos from earth's mantle and performs a sensitive search for a hypothetical natural fission reactor in earth's core. A subsequent deployment at another mid-ocean location would test lateral heterogeneity of uranium and thorium in earth's mantle.