Speaker
barbara ricci
(Ferrara University and INFN- Ferrara)
Description
Geoneutrinos , i.e. neutrinos produced by beta decays occurring in
natural 238U and 232Th decay chains, are a unique direct probe of our
planet's interior. They instantaneously bring to the Earth's surface
information on the total amount and distribution of U and Th in the crust
and in the mantle, which are thought to be the main reservoirs of these
elements.
Geoneutrinos are presently detected in KamLAND and Borexino experiments.
New measurements are highly awaited from SNO+ and from future
experiments,as JUNO (Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory).
The main background in geoneutrino measurements is due to the electron
antineutrinos produced by nuclear power plants. The energy spectrum of
reactor antineutrinos extends beyond the end point of the geoneutrino one.
As a consequence, in the geoneutrino energy window (1.8 – 3.3 MeV) we
observe an overlap between geoneutrino and reactor antineutrino signals.
Therefore, a careful analysis of the expected reactor antineutrino event
rate at a given experimental site is mandatory.
In this framework, we estimate the expected reactor antineutrino signals
all over the world, with a particular focus on SNOLab and on the site
candidate for hosting the JUNO experiment.In our calculation we take into
account the three neutrino oscillation mechanisms in vacuum, the most
updated reactor antineutrino spectra and standard fuel compositions.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) database, we
use detailed information on the locations and on the monthly time profiles
of the thermal power for each nuclear core.
In particular, by using the 2012 IAEA database, we find that the ratio
between the expected reactor antineutrino signal in the geoneutrino energy
window (RG) and the expected geoneutrino signal (G) is 0.9 for SNO+ and
0.7 for JUNO. We also calculate the ratio RG/G all over the world in
order to produce a RG/G map.
Primary author
barbara ricci
(Ferrara University and INFN- Ferrara)
Co-authors
Fabio Mantovani
(University of Ferrara and INFN-Ferrara)
Livia Ludhova
(INFN- Milano)
Marica Baldoncini
(University of Ferrara and INFN-Ferrara)
Sandra Zavatarelli
(INFN- Genova)
Virginia Strati
(University of Ferrara and INFN-Ferrara)