Kavli Affiliate: Mark Vagins
| First 5 Authors: Adam Bernstein, Hans Steiger, Viacheslav Li, Daine L. Danielson, John G. Learned
| Summary:
The High Energy Physics community can benefit from a natural synergy in
research activities into next-generation large-scale water and scintillator
neutrino detectors, now being studied for remote reactor monitoring, discovery
and exclusion applications in cooperative nonproliferation contexts.
Since approximately 2010, US nonproliferation researchers, supported by the
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), have been studying a range of
possible applications of relatively large (100 ton) to very large (hundreds of
kiloton) water and scintillator neutrino detectors. This work has been
motivated by an NNSA strategic goal of demonstrating the capability to remotely
monitor nuclear reactors using antineutrinos.
In parallel, the fundamental physics community has been developing detectors
at similar scales and with similar design features for a range of high-priority
physics topics, primarily in fundamental neutrino physics. These topics include
neutrino oscillation studies at beams and reactors, solar, and geological
neutrino measurements, supernova studies, and others.
Examples of ongoing synergistic work at U.S. national laboratories and
universities include prototype gadolinium-doped water and water-based and
opaque scintillator test-beds and demonstrators, extensive testing and industry
partnerships related to large area fast position-sensitive photomultiplier
tubes, and a proposed underground kiloton-scale water-based detector for
reactor monitoring and technology demonstrations at the Morton Salt mine in
Ohio.
Some opportunities for engagement between the two communities include
bi-annual Applied Antineutrino Physics conferences, collaboration with U.S.
National Laboratories engaging in this research, and occasional NNSA funding
opportunities supporting a blend of nonproliferation and basic science R&D,
directed at the U.S. academic community.
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