Sensitivity of Seismically Cued Antineutrino Detectors to Nuclear Explosions
- Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
- Middlebury Inst. of International Studies, Monterey, CA (United States)
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Here, we evaluate the sensitivity of large gadolinium-doped water detectors to antineutrinos released by nuclear-fission explosions, using updated signal and background models and taking advantage of the capacity for seismic observations to provide an analysis trigger. Under certain realistic conditions, the antineutrino signature of a 250-kton pure-fission explosion could be identified several hundred kilometers away, in a detector about the size of the largest module currently proposed for a basic physics experiment. In principle, such an observation could provide rapid confirmation that the seismic signal coincided with a fission event, possibly useful for international monitoring of nuclear-weapon tests. We discuss the limited potential for seismically cued antineutrino observations to constrain fission yield, differentiate pure fission from fusion-enhanced weapon tests, indicate that the seismic evidence of an explosion had been intentionally masked, or verify the absence of explosive testing in a targeted area. We conclude that advances in seismic monitoring and neutrino physics have made the detection of explosion-derived antineutrinos more conceivable than previously asserted, but the size and cost of sufficiently sensitive detectors continue to limit applications.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-07NA27344
- OSTI ID:
- 1608920
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1464308
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL-JRNL-784761; PRAHB2; 978018; TRN: US2105124
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Applied, Vol. 10, Issue 2; ISSN 2331-7019
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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