Abstract
dc:description.abstractThe neutrino is, by its nature, an elusive particle that requires massive detectors with small backgrounds to capture a handful of events. Nevertheless, neutrino experiments stand at the heart of the current mysteries of particle physics and astrophysics. These include the origin and size of neutrino mass, the existence of additional types of neutrinos, CP violation and the matter--antimatter asymmetry, the amount of metals in the Sun's core, and the existence of non-nuclear energy sources in the Sun. This dissertation concerns the the use of a novel detector technology, the Raghavan Optical Lattice (ROL), in the Low-Energy Neutrino Spectrometer (LENS) and Neutrino Lattice (NuLat) experiments. LENS will measure the solar neutrino luminosity and the Sun's core metallicity using a ROL with indium-loaded liquid scintillator. NuLat will probe the existence of light sterile neutrinos with masses of \sim 1 eV using a ROL made from 6Li -loaded plastic scintillator. For LENS we present an overview of the experiment and the present the ROL construction results from the LENS R\andD program. In particular we will present results from the micro- and mini-LENS prototypes. For both LENS and NuLat we present the development of an event reconstruction algorithm for ROLs and we apply these to the expected signals for these experiments. For NuLat we present an overview of the experiment including its theory of operation and its sensitivity to sterile neutrino oscillations. Finally, we present work toward the full-sized NuLat detector through bench-top tests and construction of the NuLat demonstrator.
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Ph. D.
- Level thesis:degree_level
- doctoral
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Physics
- Department dc:contributor.department
- Physics
- Grantor dc:publisher
- Virginia Tech
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2016
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Yokley, Zachary W.
- Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
-
- Vogelaar, R. Bruce
- Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
-
- Pitt, Mark L.
- Sharpe, Eric R.
- Piilonen, Leo E.
Subjects
dc:subject × 4Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- In Copyright
- Licence dc:rights.uri
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Dc Identifier Other
- vt_gsexam:7805
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/71330