Artificial neutrino source based on the {sup 37}Ar isotope

Journal Article · Thu Feb 15 04:00:00 EST 2007 · Physics of Atomic Nuclei

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063778807020111· OSTI ID:21075940

Barsanov, V I; Dzhanelidze, A A; Zlokazov, S B; Kotelnikov, N A; Markov, S Yu; Selin, V V; Shakirov, Z N ^[1]; Abdurashitov, D N; Veretenkin, E P; Gavrin, V N; Gorbachev, V V; Ibragimova, T V; Kalikhov, A V; Shikhin, A A; Yants, V E ^[2]; Khomyakov, Yu S ^[3]; Cleveland, B T ^[4]

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1. Institute of Reactor Materials (Russian Federation)
2. Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Nuclear Research (Russian Federation)
3. Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (Russian Federation)
4. University of Washington (United States)

In April 2004, a neutrino source was produced by irradiating a 330-kg piece of pressed calcium oxide at the fast-neutron reactor BN-600 (Zarechny, Russia) for six months. The {sup 37}Ar isotope was obtained via the (n, {alpha}) reaction on {sup 40}Ca, and {sup 37}Ar was extracted from an aqueous solution of nitric acid in which the solid target was dissolved. After that, {sup 37}Ar was purified and sealed into a capsule. This source was used to measure the neutrino-capture rate in metalic gallium for neutrinos from {sup 37}Ar decay, which have an energy close to that of the main line of solar {sup 7}Be neutrinos (863 keV). The target of the SAGE Gallium-Germanium Neutrino Telescope was irradiated by using this source at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory (Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences). The source activity was measured by several methods during its production, in the course of irradiation, and after its completion. The weighted mean of the activity for six measurements was 409 {+-} 2 kCi at the beginning of irradiation of the gallium target (04:00 Moscow time, 30.04.2004). The scatter in the activity values obtained by different methods does not exceed 5%.

• OSTI ID: 21075940
• Journal Information: Physics of Atomic Nuclei, Journal Name: Physics of Atomic Nuclei Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 70; ISSN 1063-7788; ISSN PANUEO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES
ARGON 37
BERYLLIUM 7
BORON NITRIDES
CALCIUM 40
CALCIUM OXIDES
CAPSULES
CAPTURE
FAST NEUTRONS
GALLIUM
GERMANIUM
IRRADIATION
KEV RANGE
NEUTRINOS
NUCLEAR DECAY
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
PARTICLE SOURCES
TELESCOPES