Choi et al., "Observation of reactor
electron antineutrinos disappearance in the RENO experiment," Physical Review Letters, vol.
The Reactor Experiment for Neutrino Oscillation (RENO) is a reactor-based neutrino oscillation experiment to measure the smallest neutrino mixing angle ([[theta].sub.13]) using electron antineutrinos emitted from the Hanbit (previously named Yonggwang) nuclear power plant in Korea.
Geoneutrinos are electron antineutrinos produced by [beta]-decays of [sup.238]U, [sup.232]Th, and [sup.40]K decay in the earth's crust and mantle.
The detection of the
electron antineutrinos is done through the IBD process where the outgoing positron is once again required to have a delayed coincidence with a neutron capture on Gd for the water detector or on hydrogen for the scintillator detector.
where d[[sigma].sub.SM]/dT and d[[sigma].sup.FE.sub.[mu]]/dT are the SM and [[mu].sub.v] contributions to the differential cross section for scattering of an
electron antineutrino on two free electrons.
Figure 2 shows a fit to the data from the Double Chooz experiment, searching for the spectral modification that could arise in the disappearance of
electron antineutrinos [27].
One explanation for the deficit is that some of the
electron antineutrinos have transformed into an undetectable, lightweight sterile neutrino, about one-millionth the mass of an electron, says Luk.
According to Fermilab physicist Dan Hooper, who is not part of MiniBooNE, the excess could be because muon antineutrinos turn into sterile neutrinos before becoming
electron antineutrinos, reports The New Scientist.
The researchers, who had expected to detect 23 electron neutrinos and seven
electron antineutrinos, observed 32 electron neutrinos and 4
electron antineutrinos.
These compounds emit light, or scintillate, when struck by fast-moving electrons such as those generated during complex reactions triggered when
electron antineutrinos strike protons in the detector fluid.
These pions decay into muons, muon neutrinos, muon antineutrinos, and electron neutrinos, but not
electron antineutrinos.
