The PROSPECT physics program
Journal Article
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· Journal of Physics. G, Nuclear and Particle Physics
The precision reactor oscillation and spectrum experiment, PROSPECT, is designed to make a precise measurement of the antineutrino spectrum from a highly-enriched uranium reactor and probe eV-scale sterile neutrinos by searching for neutrino oscillations over a distance of several meters. The subject of this paper, PROSPECT, is conceived as a 2-phase experiment utilizing segmented 6Li-doped liquid scintillator detectors for both efficient detection of reactor antineutrinos through the inverse beta decay reaction and excellent background discrimination. PROSPECT Phase I consists of a movable 3 ton antineutrino detector at distances of 7–12 m from the reactor core. It will probe the best-fit point of the νe disappearance experiments at 4σ in 1 year and the favored region of the sterile neutrino parameter space at > 3σ in 3 years. With a second antineutrino detector at 15–19 m from the reactor, Phase II of PROSPECT can probe the entire allowed parameter space below 10 eV2 at 5σ in 3 additional years. Finally, the measurement of the reactor antineutrino spectrum and the search for short-baseline oscillations with PROSPECT will test the origin of the spectral deviations observed in recent θ13 experiments, search for sterile neutrinos, and conclusively address the hypothesis of sterile neutrinos as an explanation of the reactor anomaly.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC); USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP) (SC-25)
- Contributing Organization:
- The PROSPECT Collaboration
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-07NA27344; SC0012704
- OSTI ID:
- 1341647
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1341950
OSTI ID: 22871383
- Report Number(s):
- BNL--113366-2016-JA; LLNL-JRNL--680497; KA2201020
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Physics. G, Nuclear and Particle Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Physics. G, Nuclear and Particle Physics Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 43; ISSN 0954-3899
- Publisher:
- IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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