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Title: Efficiently extracting energy from cosmological neutrinos

Abstract

Detecting the extremely low-energy neutrinos that form the Cosmic Neutrino Background (CNB) presents many experimental challenges, but pursuing this elusive goal is still worthwhile because these weakly-interacting particles could provide a new window into the structure and composition of the early universe. This report examines whether cosmological neutrinos can deposit sufficient energy into a target system to be detectable with plausible extensions of current bolometric technologies. While the macroscopic wavelengths of cosmological neutrinos can greatly enhance their cross sections with dense targets, such interactions can only be detectable if they transfer a significant fraction of each neutrino's kinetic energy into the detector system. We find that a large array of dense target masses coupled to suitable motion-sensitive circuits could potentially satisfy both of these conditions and thus might be able to serve as the basis for a more practical cosmological neutrino detector.

Authors:
 [1]
  1. Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22282645
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 2013; Journal Issue: 09; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1475-7516
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; BOLOMETERS; COSMIC NEUTRINOS; COSMOLOGY; CROSS SECTIONS; KINETIC ENERGY; MASS; NEUTRINO DETECTION; POTENTIALS; UNIVERSE; WAVELENGTHS

Citation Formats

Hedman, M.M., E-mail: mhedman@uidaho.edu. Efficiently extracting energy from cosmological neutrinos. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1088/1475-7516/2013/09/029.
Hedman, M.M., E-mail: mhedman@uidaho.edu. Efficiently extracting energy from cosmological neutrinos. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2013/09/029
Hedman, M.M., E-mail: mhedman@uidaho.edu. 2013. "Efficiently extracting energy from cosmological neutrinos". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2013/09/029.
@article{osti_22282645,
title = {Efficiently extracting energy from cosmological neutrinos},
author = {Hedman, M.M., E-mail: mhedman@uidaho.edu},
abstractNote = {Detecting the extremely low-energy neutrinos that form the Cosmic Neutrino Background (CNB) presents many experimental challenges, but pursuing this elusive goal is still worthwhile because these weakly-interacting particles could provide a new window into the structure and composition of the early universe. This report examines whether cosmological neutrinos can deposit sufficient energy into a target system to be detectable with plausible extensions of current bolometric technologies. While the macroscopic wavelengths of cosmological neutrinos can greatly enhance their cross sections with dense targets, such interactions can only be detectable if they transfer a significant fraction of each neutrino's kinetic energy into the detector system. We find that a large array of dense target masses coupled to suitable motion-sensitive circuits could potentially satisfy both of these conditions and thus might be able to serve as the basis for a more practical cosmological neutrino detector.},
doi = {10.1088/1475-7516/2013/09/029},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22282645}, journal = {Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics},
issn = {1475-7516},
number = 09,
volume = 2013,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013},
month = {Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2013}
}