The COHERENT Experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source

Technical Report · Wed Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1222694· OSTI ID:1222694

Elliott, Steven Ray ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

The COHERENT collaboration's primary objective is to measure coherent elastic neutrino- nucleus scattering (CEvNS) using the unique, high-quality source of tens-of-MeV neutrinos provided by the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In spite of its large cross section, the CEvNS process has never been observed, due to tiny energies of the resulting nuclear recoils which are out of reach for standard neutrino detectors. The measurement of CEvNS has now become feasible, thanks to the development of ultra-sensitive technology for rare decay and weakly-interacting massive particle (dark matter) searches. The CEvNS cross section is cleanly predicted in the standard model; hence its measurement provides a standard model test. It is relevant for supernova physics and supernova-neutrino detection, and enables validation of dark-matter detector background and detector-response models. In the long term, precision measurement of CEvNS will address questions of nuclear structure. COHERENT will deploy multiple detector technologies in a phased approach: a 14-kg CsI[Na] scintillating crystal, 15 kg of p-type point-contact germanium detectors, and 100 kg of liquid xenon in a two-phase time projection chamber. Following an extensive background measurement campaign, a location in the SNS basement has proven to be neutron-quiet and suitable for deployment of the COHERENT detector suite. The simultaneous deployment of the three COHERENT detector subsystems will test the N=2 dependence of the cross section and ensure an unambiguous discovery of CEvNS. This document describes concisely the COHERENT physics motivations, sensitivity and plans for measurements at the SNS to be accomplished on a four-year timescale.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 1222694
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-15-27607; TRN: US1500428
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
STANDARD MODEL
GE SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
NEUTRON SOURCES
NEUTRINO REACTIONS
TIME PROJECTION CHAMBERS
ORNL
SPALLATION
XENON
CROSS SECTIONS
NEUTRINO DETECTION
MEV RANGE 10-100
LIQUIDS
RECOILS
ELASTIC SCATTERING
COHERENT SCATTERING
SENSITIVITY
EXPERIMENT PLANNING
SOLID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
CESIUM IODIDES
atomic and nuclear physics