arXiv subjects

Shaomin Chen

Publications and source records attributed to Shaomin Chen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A High-Precision Numerical Framework for Time-Varying Solar Neutrino Flux with Full Earth Matter Oscillation Corrections for Global Underground Laboratories

Solar neutrinos have been studied for over half a century to test both the Standard Solar Model and the electroweak sector of the Standard Model of particle physics. Contemporary experiments are now entering an era of high-precision measurements, demanding corresponding theoretical predictions with sub-percent accuracy to enable meaningful comparison. In this paper, we identify and analyze the essential physical and computational components required to compute solar neutrino fluxes with high fidelity, and present a unified, computationally efficient framework. This framework incorporates: (i) the time-varying Earth-Sun distance; (ii) Earth matter effects modeled using both one-dimensional (1D) and three-dimensional (3D) Earth electron-density profiles; and (iii) a fast, Strang-splitting-based implementation of the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) neutrino propagation formalism, enabling rapid, large-scale scans over neutrino trajectories and energy grids. We deliver site-specific predictions for the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL) and other underground laboratories actively engaged in solar neutrino programs.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

The Research and Development of New Electronics System and its Testing on the JNE-1ton Prototype Detector

The Jinping Neutrino Experiment (JNE), a next-generation neutrino observatory under construction at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory II (CJPL-II), requires high-precision waveform-based event reconstruction, imposing stringent demands on its readout electronics. To meet these requirements, we have developed a high-performance readout system featuring 1 GSa/s real-time sampling, 14-bit physical resolution with an effective number of bits (ENOB) of 10.6, a total data throughput of 64 Gbps, and a deterministic zero-delay clock distribution architecture. The new single-crate 64-channel system (PDS1500) was validated through bench tests and deployment on the upgraded JNE-1ton prototype detector. Its performance was further evaluated against a commercial reference system. The results demonstrate that all key metrics meet the JNE experimental requirements: zero data loss within a 1000 ns acquisition window, baseline noise reduced to one-third of the reference level, timing drift limited to 0.3 ns across power cycles, and an energy threshold as low as 0.1 MeV, enabling the detection of low-energy solar neutrinos. While the 14-bit physical resolution provides significantly higher waveform fidelity, the overall energy resolution in this test remains dominated by the intrinsic limitations of the JNE-1ton detector, as expected. Furthermore, the modular architecture provides the throughput and scalability required to support the full-scale 3000-channel JNE detector. These results collectively demonstrate that the newly developed electronics system fully satisfies the technical requirements of the future JNE experiment.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Final assessment of radioactive impurities in the JUNO detector

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) collaboration has completed the construction of the 20,000-ton liquid scintillator detector and the associated muon veto detector system. To meet the physics objectives, the materials used in the detector must exhibit low radioactive contamination. The single-event rate in the fiducial volume (R $<$ 17.2 m) of the scintillator is required to be approximately 7 Hz for energies above 0.7 MeV, resulting in an accidental coincidence background of about 1 event per day for reactor neutrino physics analyses. Since the beginning of the construction phase, we have screened the natural radioactivity content of thousands of materials, to select those that meet the design background budget. The radioactive impurity concentrations of the materials ultimately used in the JUNO detector are summarized in this paper. The construction of the entire detector and the subsequent filling of the liquid scintillator were completed in August 2025. From the initial data, the total count rate of natural radioactivity within the detector's fiducial volume has met the requirements and is sufficient to support the reactor antineutrino analysis.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

A Low-energy Threshold and Multi-messenger Trigger System for the JUNO Experiment

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a 20-kiloton liquid scintillator neutrino detector, located 650 meters (1800 m.w.e.) underground in Jiangmen, Guangdong, China. JUNO is primarily designed for reactor neutrino measurements and has been taking data since 2025. With the largest mass of its kind and an excellent energy resolution, JUNO is a leading observatory for high-precision measurements of MeV neutrinos. The standard global trigger system serves as the primary trigger for JUNO. We present a newly developed multi-messenger trigger system that extends the capabilities of the global trigger by providing a lower energy threshold and an independent monitoring capability. During the 2025 operation, it achieved an effective energy threshold of approximately 110 +/- 10 keV, providing a lower threshold configuration suitable for low-energy event analysis. The system shows the potential to further reduce the threshold to well below 100 keV. Based on the multi-messenger trigger system, an astrophysical monitor has been developed to receive and process external alerts from other messengers, such as gravitational-wave observations. A Transient Neutrino Burst Monitor is integrated to detect short-time-scale neutrino burst events and enables real-time monitoring of transient astrophysical phenomena. The system is sensitive to neutrino bursts from core-collapse supernovae within a distance of about 250 kpc.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2026

Mountain Muography for China Jinping Underground Laboratory

The China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL), located $\sim 2,400$~m beneath Jinping Mountain, is one of the world's deepest and largest ($\sim 300{,}000~\mathrm{m}^3$) underground facilities, hosting dark matter, nuclear astrophysics, and neutrino experiments. We report the first muon radiography (muography) conducted at this extraordinary depth. Cosmic muons detected by a one-ton prototype developed for the Jinping Neutrino Experiment were used to perform non-invasive subsurface density mapping over a 3~km lateral range. The 1.3~m diameter detector provides nearly isotropic acceptance and an angular resolution of $\sim 4.5^\circ$. By correlating the predicted surface muon flux distributions with the underground measurements, we reconstruct a directional opacity map that constrains the density structure of the overburden and shows excellent agreement with satellite-derived terrain models. This work demonstrates the feasibility of muography at extreme depths with kilometer-scale overburden and establishes a robust methodology for future geophysical applications and large-scale facilities, such as the full Jinping Neutrino Experiment. Based on this validated overburden model, we further predict the total muon fluxes for the eight experimental halls in CJPL-II, providing essential input for their physics programs.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2026

Embedded underwater front-end electronics for the 3-inch photomultipliers in the JUNO experiment

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a 20-kton liquid scintillator-based, low-radioactivity, multi-purpose neutrino detector located 693 meters (1800 m.w.e.) underground in the Guangdong province, China. To detect scintillation light produced in the target, the detector is equipped with 17,612 20-inch photomultipliers (PMTs), forming the Large PMT system (LPMT). In addition, 25,600 3-inch photomultipliers (the Small Photomultiplier System or SPMT) are deployed in the gaps between the LPMTs. This paper presents the design and performance of the underwater front-end electronics developed for the SPMT system. It details the individual electronics boards and their key components, the inter-board interfaces, the system-level design, and the firmware architecture that supports data acquisition and control. It also outlines mechanical and thermal integration, board validation procedures, and system performance metrics. The readout chain includes digitization of 128 PMT channels per unit, synchronized time-stamping, charge measurement, event packaging, and bandwidth management. Comprehensive validation confirms the system's readiness to meet JUNO's stringent physics goals. The underwater electronics achieve noise levels as low as 0.04 photoelectrons with minimal crosstalk (below 0.4%) and a bandwidth of 57 MB/s, ensuring reliable single photo-electron detection and operation under high-rate conditions. The SPMT system has now been fully integrated and installed in JUNO. Its commissioning and physics performance will be reported in a future publication.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Development and Performance Study of Vertical GaN $\alpha$-Particle Detector with High Energy Resolution

High-energy-resolution GaN $\alpha$-particle detectors have significant potential for space radiation, nuclear instrumentation, and harsh-environment applications. However, existing GaN $\alpha$-particle detectors still face several key challenges, including reducing the dead-layer thickness, suppressing leakage current under high reverse bias, improving energy resolution, and clarifying the physical mechanism underlying the low-energy tail phenomenon. This study presents a vertical homoepitaxial GaN $\alpha$-particle detector integrating a 20-nm ultrathin dead layer and a guard-ring structure. The detector exhibits an ultralow leakage current of 2.195 nA at -200 V and an intrinsic energy resolution of 2.69% with a charge collection efficiency (CCE) of 95.9% at -260 V. More importantly, this work demonstrates for the first time through Geant4 simulations that depletion-width nonuniformity is the dominant source of partial energy leakage, leading to an extended low-energy tail in the energy spectrum. We establish a depletion-width nonuniformity model and observe good agreement between simulation and experiment. This finding provides practical guidance for the design and optimization of high-performance GaN-based radiation detectors.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2026

Potassium-40 geoneutrinos detection and the Earth's large-scale structures imaging by directional geoneutrino detection

Geoneutrinos, the electron (anti)neutrinos generated in decays or decay chains of radioactive elements within the Earth, primarily K-40, U-238, and Th-232, serve as a unique probe of the Earth's inner chemical composition. A directional geoneutrino detection method with a Cherenkov liquid scintillator is investigated in this work. Neutrino-electron elastic scattering in the Cherenkov scintillator is employed to detect geoneutrinos. The direction reconstruction resolution for neutrinos is studied. The radioactive and solar neutrino backgrounds are taken into account. The intrinsic neutrino background from the Sun is suppressed with an optimized solar angle cut. The required exposure to reach a 3 sigma sensitivity to discover geoneutrinos in a potassium-dominated energy region is 6.9 kiloton-years. The potential to image Earth's large-scale structures using directional geoneutrino information is also studied. The required exposure to reject a uniform terrestrial angle distribution of geoneutrinos at the 3 sigma level exceeds 27 kiloton-years.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2026

Worldwide Reactor Neutrino Propagation to Underground Labs: Matter Effects and Flux Predictions

As a unique probe for geophysical research, geoneutrinos can reveal the distribution of internal heat sources in the Earth by detecting electron antineutrinos produced by the radioactive decay of $^{238}$U, $^{232}$Th, and $^{40}$K. However, commercial nuclear power plants continuously produce the same type of electron antineutrinos, which constitute a primary background difficult to eliminate in geoneutrino experiments. As geoneutrino measurements and reactor background modeling approach sub-percent precision, even small matter-induced corrections to reactor antineutrino propagation require quantitative assessment. In this paper, we develop a high-precision prediction framework for reactor neutrino fluxes at underground labs, using global reactor operating data, reactor-to-detector distances, and matter effects (MSW) on neutrino propagation through the Earth. To solve the three-flavor MSW evolution efficiently, we implement a second-order Strang-splitting solver in the vacuum mass basis. Within this framework, we have calculated the reactor neutrino oscillation probabilities, including the MSW effect under one-dimensional (spherically symmetric) and three-dimensional (including lateral inhomogeneities) Earth models, and compared them with the vacuum oscillation scenario, to assess the impact of Earth's structural features on the accuracy of reactor neutrino flux predictions.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2026

The $\nu$EYE Neutrino Telescope: Conceptual Design Report

The $\bf\nu EYE$ neutrino project leverages the existing large pit at Yemilab located in South Korea, to reveal the existence of sterile neutrino, the up-turn of the neutrinos from the Sun, and the first minimum of the neutrino oscillation over distances on the order of tens of kilometers for the first time. This initiative is expected to facilitate a wide range of significant scientific and technological advancements within both South Korean and international communities engaged in neutrino science and technology. The $\bf\nu EYE$ aims to investigate the largely unexplored sector of almost-massless lepton in the elementary particle physics in detail. The emphasis will be placed on the study of real time nuclear processes and reactions involving possible sterile neutrinos on timescales down to nanoseconds in ultra-high intense or radioactive neutrino beams for the first time in the world; the $\bf\nu EYE$ looks at to-be universal oscillation (``up-turn'' in the electron neutrino survival probability) of neutrinos predicted by the three neutrino oscillation paradigm. This will confirm or deny our current understanding on the particle interactions of the lepton sector; and measurement of the first oscillation minimum between the first and second neutrinos in mass.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Prospects for geoneutrino detection with JUNO

Geoneutrinos, which are antineutrinos emitted during the decay of long-lived radioactive elements inside Earth, serve as a unique tool for studying the composition and heat budget of our planet. The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) experiment in China, which has recently completed construction, is expected to collect a sample comparable in size to the entire existing world geoneutrino dataset in less than a year. This paper presents an updated estimation of sensitivity to geoneutrinos of JUNO using the best knowledge available to date about the experimental site, the surrounding nuclear reactors, the detector response uncertainties, and the constraints expected from the TAO satellite detector. To facilitate comparison with present and future geological models, our results cover a wide range of predicted signal strengths. Despite the significant background from reactor antineutrinos, the experiment will measure the total geoneutrino flux with a precision comparable to that of existing experiments within its first few years, ultimately achieving a world-leading precision of about 8% over ten years. The large statistics of JUNO will also allow separation of the Uranium-238 and Thorium-232 contributions with unprecedented precision, providing crucial constraints on models of formation and composition of Earth. Observation of the mantle signal above the lithospheric flux will be possible but challenging. For models with the highest predicted mantle concentrations of heat-producing elements, a 3-sigma detection over six years requires knowledge of the lithospheric flux to within 15%. Together with complementary measurements from other locations, the geoneutrino results of JUNO will offer cutting-edge, high-precision insights into the interior of Earth, of fundamental importance to both the geoscience and neutrino physics communities.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Investigating Production of TeV-scale Muons in Extensive Air Shower at 2400 Meters Underground

Deep underground experiments present a new avenue to probe the first interactions in extensive air showers or hadronic interactions in the extreme forward phase space. The China Jinping Underground Laboratory, characterized by a vertical rock overburden of 2,400~m, provides an exceptionally effective shield against cosmic muons with energies below 3~TeV. The surviving high-energy muons, produced in the first interactions of extensive air showers, open a unique observational window into primary cosmic rays from tens of TeV up to the PeV scale and beyond. This distinctive feature also enables detailed studies of charged hadron production in the earliest stages of shower development. Using 1,338.6 live days of data collected with a one-ton prototype detector for the Jinping Neutrino Experiment, we measured the underground muon flux originating from air showers. The results show discrepancies of about 40\% corresponding to significances of more than 2$\sigma$, relative to predictions from several leading hadronic interaction models. We interpret these findings from two complementary perspectives: (i) by adopting the expected cosmic-ray spectra, we constrain the modeling of the first hadronic interactions in air showers and provide novel insights into resolving the long-standing \textit{muon puzzle}; and (ii) by assuming specific hadronic interaction models, we infer the mass composition of cosmic rays, and our data favor a lighter component in the corresponding energy range. Our study demonstrates the potential of deep underground laboratories to provide new experimental insights into air shower physics and cosmic rays.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Design, waterproofing, and mass production of the 3-inch PMT frontend system of JUNO

Over 25,600 3-inch photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) have been instrumented for the central detector of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory. Each PMT is equipped with a high-voltage divider and a frontend cable with waterproof sealing. Groups of sixteen PMTs are connected to the underwater frontend readout electronics via specialized multi-channel waterproof connectors. This paper outlines the design and mass production processes for the high-voltage divider, the cable and connector, as well as the waterproof potting of the PMT bases. The results of the acceptance tests of all the integrated PMTs are also presented.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Extending the sensitivity of heavy sterile neutrino searches with solar neutrino experiments

A sensitivity study of the search for heavy sterile neutrinos ($\nu_H$) in the MeV mass range using solar neutrino experiments is presented. $\nu_H$, with masses ranging from a few MeV up to around 15 MeV, can be produced in the Sun through $^8$B decay and subsequently decay into $\nu_e e^+ e^-$. Its flux and lifetime strongly depend on the mixing parameter $|U_{eH}|^2$ and mass $m_{\nu_H}$. The $\nu_H$ signal can be detected via its decay products, either the $e^+e^-$ pair or $\nu_e$, depending on whether $\nu_H$ decays inside or outside the detector. Expected signal yields for both detection methods (detecting $e^+e^-$ or $\nu_e$ signal) are presented across the full $|U_{eH}|^2$ and $m_{\nu_H}$ parameter space. These two methods are found to be complementary in different regions of the $|U_{eH}|^2$ and $m_{\nu_H}$ phase space. By combining both approaches, we anticipate observing at least a handful of signal events across most of the parameter space of $10^{-6} < |U_{eH}|^2 < 1$ and 2 MeV $< m_{\nu_H} < $ 14 MeV, assuming a 500-ton solar neutrino experiment operating for one year. Key variables, such as the energy spectra and opening angle of $\nu_e$ or $e^+e^-$ and the solar angle of $\nu_e$ and its scattered electron, are also discussed to help distinguish signal from major backgrounds, such as solar neutrino events.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Simulation of the Background from $^{13}$C$(\alpha, n)^{16}$O Reaction in the JUNO Scintillator

Large-scale organic liquid scintillator detectors are highly efficient in the detection of MeV-scale electron antineutrinos. These signal events can be detected through inverse beta decay on protons, which produce a positron accompanied by a neutron. A noteworthy background for antineutrinos coming from nuclear power reactors and from the depths of the Earth (geoneutrinos) is generated by ($\alpha, n$) reactions. In organic liquid scintillator detectors, $\alpha$ particles emitted from intrinsic contaminants such as $^{238}$U, $^{232}$Th, and $^{210}$Pb/$^{210}$Po, can be captured on $^{13}$C nuclei, followed by the emission of a MeV-scale neutron. Three distinct interaction mechanisms can produce prompt energy depositions preceding the delayed neutron capture, leading to a pair of events correlated in space and time within the detector. Thus, ($\alpha, n$) reactions represent an indistinguishable background in liquid scintillator-based antineutrino detectors, where their expected rate and energy spectrum are typically evaluated via Monte Carlo simulations. This work presents results from the open-source SaG4n software, used to calculate the expected energy depositions from the neutron and any associated de-excitation products. Also simulated is a detailed detector response to these interactions, using a dedicated Geant4-based simulation software from the JUNO experiment. An expected measurable $^{13}$C$(\alpha, n)^{16}$O event rate and reconstructed prompt energy spectrum with associated uncertainties, are presented in the context of JUNO, however, the methods and results are applicable and relevant to other organic liquid scintillator neutrino detectors.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Development and characterization of the JNE concentrator

The Jinping Neutrino Experiment (JNE) will utilize approximately 3000 8-inch MCP-PMTs identified as GDB-6082 from North Night Vision Technology to detect neutrinos. To enhance the effective coverage of the JNE detector, mounting a custom-designed light concentrator on each PMT is a practical and economical approach. We measured angular responses of the concentration factor at four wavelengths in air medium for the concentrator with the selected cutoff angle of 70{\deg}. The measurements align with the Monte Carlo simulations. Furthermore, our results indicate that these concentrators can improve the efficiency of light collection by 40 % under parallel illumination conditions. This enhancement results in a slight increase in transit-time spread, with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) increasing by less than 0.3 ns. We conclude that the developed light concentrators are highly suitable for the JNE.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Solar neutrinos

Solar neutrinos, generated abundantly by thermonuclear reactions in the solar interior, offer a unique tool for studying astrophysics and particle physics. The observation of solar neutrinos has led to the discovery of neutrino oscillation, a topic currently under active research, and it has been recognized by two Nobel Prizes. In this pedagogical introduction to solar neutrino physics, we will guide readers through several key questions: How are solar neutrinos produced? How are they detected? What is the solar neutrino problem, and how is it resolved by neutrino oscillation? This article also presents a brief overview of the theory of solar neutrino oscillation, the experimental achievements, new physics relevant to solar neutrinos, and the prospects in this field.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Statistical research on determining sensitivity of neutrinoless double beta decays

The determination of experimental sensitivity is a key step in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$), providing a quantitative benchmark for detector design. Two commonly used statistical approaches are the counting method, which estimates sensitivity from the number of events in a predefined region of interest, and the fitting method, which extracts the signal contribution by fitting the full energy spectrum. In this work, we investigate both discovery sensitivity and exclusion sensitivity within these two approaches. Through statistical derivation and simulation verification, we show that the relative performance of the methods depends on both energy resolution and exposure, while at higher exposures the fitting method consistently yields more stringent sensitivity. These results provide guidance for selecting the optimal statistical method in future $0\nu\beta\beta$ experiments.

physics.ins-det↗