Abstract
dc:description.abstractIn the first part of the thesis we explore the sensitivity to sterile neutrinos by using a novel kaon tagging technology: ENUBET, the proposed experiment could decisively test indications from the experiments Neutrino-4 and IceCube. In the second part of the thesis we discuss the current status of sterile neutrino searches at nuclear reactors, we present a study with the optimization of a green field, two baseline reactor experiment with respect to the sensitivity for electron anti-neutrino disappearance in search of a light sterile neutrino at both research and commercial reactors. We find that a total of 5 tons of detectors deployed at a commercial reactor with a closest approach of 25 m can probe the mixing angle sin²2θ down to ∼ 5 × 10⁻³ around ∆m² ∼ 1 eV² . The same detector mass deployed at a research reactor can be sensitive up to ∆m² ∼ 20 − 30 eV² assuming a closest approach of 3 m and excellent energy resolution, such as that projected for TAO. We also find that lithium doping of the reactor could be effective in increasing the sensitivity for higher ∆m² values.
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Master of Science
- Level thesis:degree_level
- masters
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Physics
- Department dc:contributor.department
- Physics
- Grantor dc:publisher
- Virginia Tech
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2021
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Delgadillo Franco, Luis Angel
- Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
-
- Huber, Patrick
- Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
-
- Shoemaker, Ian M.
- O'Donnell, Thomas
- Horiuchi, Shunsaku
Subjects
dc:subject × 2Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- In Copyright
- Licence dc:rights.uri
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Dc Identifier Other
- vt_gsexam:31509
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/103875