Neutron backgrounds in the Ricochet experiment
Name
963850265-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
6.31 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
362d42d9d520f0c546acf1ea99fcf61f
Author(s)
Newman, Elise (Elise S.)
Advisor(s)
Joseph A. Formaggio.
Date Issued
2016
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
This paper explores the impact of neutron backgrounds on the Ricochet experiment. The purpose of the Ricochet experiment is to determine the existence of sterile neutrinos via coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering. Coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering is an ideal detection method because it is a neutral current process. All active neutrino flavors will therefore be detected uniformly (no non-active, or sterile neutrinos will be detected because they do not couple to the Z boson). By varying the distance between the detector and the neutrino source, we consider deficits in neutrino flux to be evidence of oscillation to a fourth, non-active neutrino. Neutron backgrounds could interfere with neutrino detection. We therefore calibrate and employ Neutral Current Detectors (NCD's) for the purpose of neutron detection to measure the expected neutron spectrum incident on the detector. We furthermore design a Monte Carlo simulation to model the expected neutron capture rate of the neutrino detector in this setup.
Description
Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, 2016.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (page 59).
Subjects
Physics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Terms of Use
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