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Title: Analysis of the Daya Bay Reactor Antineutrino Flux Changes with Fuel Burnup

Abstract

We investigate the recent Daya Bay results on the changes in the antineutrino flux and spectrum with the burnup of the reactor fuel. We find that the discrepancy between current model predictions and the Daya Bay results can be traced to the original measured 235U/ 239Pu ratio of the fission beta spectra that were used as a base for the expected antineutrino fluxes. An analysis of the antineutrino spectra that is based on a summation over all fission fragment beta-decays, using nuclear database input, explains all of the features seen in the Daya Bay evolution data. However, this summation method still predicts an anomaly. Thus, we conclude that there is currently not enough information to use the antineutrino flux changes to rule out the possible existence of sterile neutrinos.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC)
  3. Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
  4. Huzhou Univ., Huzhou (China). School of Science
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP) (SC-26); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1376166
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1416840; OSTI ID: 1438109
Report Number(s):
BNL-114138-2017-JA; LA-UR-17-26501
Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0012704; AC02-98CH10886; AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 120; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; Atomic and Nuclear Physics

Citation Formats

Hayes, A. C., Ricard-McCutchan, E. A., Jungman, Gerard, Sonzogni, A. A., Garvey, G. T., and Wang, X. B. Analysis of the Daya Bay Reactor Antineutrino Flux Changes with Fuel Burnup. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.022503.
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Hayes, A. C., Ricard-McCutchan, E. A., Jungman, Gerard, Sonzogni, A. A., Garvey, G. T., & Wang, X. B. Analysis of the Daya Bay Reactor Antineutrino Flux Changes with Fuel Burnup. United States. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.022503.
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Hayes, A. C., Ricard-McCutchan, E. A., Jungman, Gerard, Sonzogni, A. A., Garvey, G. T., and Wang, X. B. Fri . "Analysis of the Daya Bay Reactor Antineutrino Flux Changes with Fuel Burnup". United States. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.022503. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1376166.
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@article{osti_1376166,
title = {Analysis of the Daya Bay Reactor Antineutrino Flux Changes with Fuel Burnup},
author = {Hayes, A. C. and Ricard-McCutchan, E. A. and Jungman, Gerard and Sonzogni, A. A. and Garvey, G. T. and Wang, X. B.},
abstractNote = {We investigate the recent Daya Bay results on the changes in the antineutrino flux and spectrum with the burnup of the reactor fuel. We find that the discrepancy between current model predictions and the Daya Bay results can be traced to the original measured 235U/239Pu ratio of the fission beta spectra that were used as a base for the expected antineutrino fluxes. An analysis of the antineutrino spectra that is based on a summation over all fission fragment beta-decays, using nuclear database input, explains all of the features seen in the Daya Bay evolution data. However, this summation method still predicts an anomaly. Thus, we conclude that there is currently not enough information to use the antineutrino flux changes to rule out the possible existence of sterile neutrinos.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.022503},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
issn = {0031-9007},
number = 2,
volume = 120,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {1}
}
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Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
DOI:  10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.022503
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Cited by: 10 works
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Figures / Tables:

FIG. 1 FIG. 1: (top)The ratio of the 235U and 239Pu beta spectra. The data are from [6], and the curves are the ratios obtained by fitting the individual 235U and 239Pu data, using different assumptions. The different assumptions are explained in the text. Excellent fits were obtained in all cases. (bottom)Themore » ratio of the antineutrino spectra resulting from the fits. We note that the jagged structures largely reflect the fact that the fits only require about 25 endpoints; these effects are normally smoothed in published expected spectra.« less
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Works referenced in this record:

Experimental beta-spectra from 239Pu and 235U thermal neutron fission products and their correlated antineutrino spectra
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Determination of antineutrino spectra from nuclear reactors
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Evolution of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay
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Total Absorption Spectroscopy Study of Rb 92 Decay: A Major Contributor to Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum Shape
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Possible origins and implications of the shoulder in reactor neutrino spectra
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  • Holloway, S. T.; Kawano, Toshihiko; Moller, Peter
  • Journal of the Korean Physical Society, Vol. 59, Issue 2(3)
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Improved predictions of reactor antineutrino spectra
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Effects of Fission Yield Data in the Calculation of Antineutrino Spectra for U 235 ( n , fission ) at Thermal and Fast Neutron Energies
journal, April 2016

Systematic Uncertainties in the Analysis of the Reactor Neutrino Anomaly
journal, May 2014

Calculation of delayed-neutron energy spectra in a quasiparticle random-phase approximation–Hauser-Feshbach model
journal, November 2008

Decays of the Three Top Contributors to the Reactor ν ¯ e High-Energy Spectrum, Rb 92 , Y 96 gs , and Cs 142 , Studied with Total Absorption Spectroscopy
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Antineutrino spectra from 241Pu and 239Pu thermal neutron fission products
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Reactor Neutrino Spectra
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    Figures / Tables found in this record:

    FIG. 1 (p. 4)figure
    TABLE I (p. 4)table
    FIG. 2 (p. 5)figure
    FIG. 3 (p. 5)figure
    FIG. 4 (p. 5)figure
    TABLE II (p. 5)table
    FIG. 5 (p. 6)figure
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      Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.

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