arXiv subjects

Steve Dye

Publications and source records attributed to Steve Dye.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Lunar antineutrinos and heat: fluxes from primordial radioactivity

We estimate the fluxes of heat and antineutrinos due to primordial radioactivity within the moon. We use a radial density profile, specifying an inner core and a model-averaged crust. Thickness, density, and elevation of the lunar crust are from remote measurements of the gravitational field. Lateral and vertical variations of thorium, uranium, and potassium abundances in the crust follow from a prediction of the lunar bulk chemical composition. We constrain the total contents of thorium, uranium, and potassium using estimates for the earth's primitive mantle. These contents produce $311\pm37$ GW of radiogenic heating and a surface-averaged heat flux of $8.19\pm0.97$ mW/m$^2$. Our lunar model estimates an antineutrino flux of $(1.83\pm0.32)\times10^6$ cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ and an antineutrino inverse beta decay rate of $5.8\pm1.0$ per $10^{32}$ free proton targets per year, both averaged over the surface.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2023

Physics Potential of a Few Kiloton Scale Neutrino Detector at a Deep Underground Lab in Korea

The demand for underground labs for neutrino and rare event search experiments has been increasing over the last few decades. Yemilab, constructed in October 2022, is the first deep ($\sim$1~km) underground lab dedicated to science in Korea, where a large cylindrical cavern (D: 20~m, H: 20~m) was excavated in addition to the main caverns and halls. The large cavern could be utilized for a low background neutrino experiment by a liquid scintillator-based detector (LSC) where a 2.26 kiloton LS target would be filled. It's timely to have such a large but ultra-pure LS detector after the shutdown of the Borexino experiment so that solar neutrinos can be measured much more precisely. Interesting BSM physics searches can be also pursued with this detector when it's combined with an electron linac, a proton cyclotron (IsoDAR source), or a radioactive source. This article discusses the concept of a candidate detector and the physics potential of a large liquid scintillator detector.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2021

Global Antineutrino Modeling for a Web Application

Antineutrinos stream freely from rapidly decaying fission products within the cores of nuclear reactors and from long-lived natural radioactivity within the rocky layers of the Earth. These global antineutrinos produce detectable signals in large ultra-clear volumes of water- or hydrocarbon-based target liquids, which are viewed by inward-facing photomultiplier tubes. Detected antineutrinos provide information about their shrouded sources and about the fundamental properties of neutrinos themselves. This paper presents the input data, formulae, and plots resulting from the calculations, which, in addition to the time-dependent reaction rates and energy spectra, model the directions of the antineutrinos from IAEA-registered nuclear power reactors and of the neutrinos from $^8$B decay in the Sun. The model includes estimates of the steady state reaction rates and energy spectra of the antineutrinos from the crust and mantle of the Earth. Results are available for any location near the surface of the Earth and comprise both quasi-elastic scattering on free protons and elastic scattering on atomic electrons. This paper compares model results for two underground locations, the Boulby Mine in the United Kingdom and the Morton Salt Mine in the United States. Operational nuclear power reactors are within about $20$ kilometers of these mines, making them candidate sites for antineutrino detectors capable of identifying, monitoring, and locating remote nuclear activity. The model, which is implemented in a web application at https://geoneutrinos.org/reactors/, provides references for the input data and the formulae, as well as an interactive calculator of the significance of the rate of any of the neutrino sources relative to other sources taken as background.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Evaluating Reactor Antineutrino Signals for WATCHMAN

Increasing the distance from which an antineutrino detector is capable of monitoring the operation of a registered reactor, or discovering a clandestine reactor, strengthens the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty. This paper presents calculations of reactor antineutrino interactions from quasi-elastic neutrino-proton scattering and elastic neutrino-electron scattering in a water-based detector operated $\gtrsim10$ km from a commercial power reactor. It separately calculates signal from the proximal reactor and background from all other registered reactors. The main results are differential and integral interaction rates from the quasi-elastic and elastic processes. There are two underground facilities capable of hosting a detector ($\sim1$ kT H$_2$O) project nearby ($L\sim20$ km) an operating commercial reactor ($P_{th}\sim3$ GW). These reactor-site combinations, which are under consideration for project WATCHMAN, are Perry-Morton on the southern shore of Lake Erie in the United States and Hartlepool-Boulby on the western shore of the North Sea in England. The signal rate from the proximal reactor is about five times greater at the Morton site than at the Boulby site due to shorter reactor-site separation distance, larger reactor thermal power, and greater neutrino oscillation survival probability. Although the background rate from all other reactors is larger at Morton than at Boulby, it is a smaller fraction of the signal rate from the proximal reactor at Morton than at Boulby. Moreover, the Hartlepool power plant has two cores whereas the Perry plant has a single core. The Boulby site, therefore, offers an opportunity for remotely monitoring the on/off cycle of a reactor core under more stringent conditions than does the Morton site.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Robust Geo-neutrino Results

Geo-neutrino observations probe the quantities and distributions of terrestrial heat-producing elements uranium and thorium. The quantities of these elements gauge global radiogenic power, offering insights into the origin and thermal history of the Earth. The distributions reveal the initial partitioning and subsequent transport of these trace elements between metallic core, silicate mantle, and crust types. Ongoing observations at underground sites in Japan and Italy record the energies but not the directions of geo-neutrinos from uranium and thorium. Without directions pointing back to source regions, disentangling the signals from various reservoirs requires resolution of differing rates or energy spectra at separate sites. Due to limited statistics and site contrast, however, the observations at Japan and Italy do not yet measure distinct rates or energy spectra. Further analyses of the observations that derive fluxes, determine a signal from the mantle, and assess the global radiogenic power of uranium and thorium, depend on geochemical assumptions and model predictions. This letter discusses opportunities for eliminating or minimizing these dependencies through observations at dissimilar sites, producing robust geo-neutrino results.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2016

Reactor Antineutrino Signals at Morton and Boulby

Increasing the distance from which an antineutrino detector is capable of monitoring the operation of a registered reactor, or discovering a clandestine reactor, strengthens the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty. This report presents calculations of reactor antineutrino interactions, from quasi-elastic neutrino-proton scattering and elastic neutrino-electron scattering, in a water-based detector operated >10 km from a commercial power reactor. It separately calculates signal from the proximal reactor and background from all other registered reactors. The main results are interaction rates and kinetic energy distributions of charged leptons scattered from quasi-elastic and elastic processes. Comparing signal and background distributions evaluates reactor monitoring capability. Scaling the results to detectors of different sizes, target media, and standoff distances is straightforward. Calculations are for two examples of a commercial reactor (P_th~3 GW) operating nearby (L~20 km) an underground facility capable of hosting a detector (~1 kT H2O) project. These reactor-site combinations are Perry-Morton on the southern shore of Lake Erie in the U.S. and Hartlepool-Boulby on the western shore of the North Sea in U.K.. The signal from the proximal reactor is about five times greater at the Morton site than at the Boulby site due to shorter reactor-site separation distance, larger reactor thermal power, and greater neutrino oscillation survival probability. In terms of absolute interaction rate, background from all other reactors is larger at Morton than at Boulby. However, the fraction of the total rate is smaller at Morton than at Boulby. Moreover, the Hartlepool power plant has two cores whereas the Perry plant has a single core. The Boulby site, therefore, offers an opportunity for demonstrating remote reactor monitoring under more stringent conditions than does the Morton site.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2014

Geo-neutrinos: recent developments

Radiogenic heating is a key component of the energy balance and thermal evolution of the Earth. It contributes to mantle convection, plate tectonics, volcanoes, and mountain building. Geo-neutrino observations estimate the present radiogenic power of our planet. This estimate depends on the quantity and distribution of heat-producing elements in various Earth reservoirs. Of particular geological importance is radiogenic heating in the mantle. This quantity informs the origin and thermal evolution of our planet. Here we present: currently reported geo-neutrino observations; estimates of the mantle geo-neutrino signal, mantle radiogenic heating, and mantle cooling; a comparison of chemical Earth model predictions of the mantle geo-neutrino signal and mantle radiogenic heating; a brief discussion of radiogenic heating in the core, including calculations of geo-neutrino signals per pW/kg; and finally a discussion of observational strategy.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2012

Geophysical and geochemical constraints on geoneutrino fluxes from Earth's mantle

Knowledge of the amount and distribution of radiogenic heating in the mantle is crucial for understanding the dynamics of the Earth, including its thermal evolution, the style and planform of mantle convection, and the energetics of the core. Although the flux of heat from the surface of the planet is robustly estimated, the contributions of radiogenic heating and secular cooling remain poorly defined. Constraining the amount of heat-producing elements in the Earth will provide clues to understanding nebula condensation and planetary formation processes in early Solar System. Mantle radioactivity supplies power for mantle convection and plate tectonics, but estimates of mantle radiogenic heat production vary by a factor of more than 20. Recent experimental results demonstrate the potential for direct assessment of mantle radioactivity through observations of geoneutrinos, which are emitted by naturally occurring radionuclides. Predictions of the geoneutrino signal from the mantle exist for several established estimates of mantle composition. Here we present novel analyses, illustrating surface variations of the mantle geoneutrino signal for models of the deep mantle structure, including those based on seismic tomography. These variations have measurable differences for some models, allowing new and meaningful constraints on the dynamics of the planet. An ocean based geoneutrino detector deployed at several strategic locations will be able to discriminate between competing compositional models of the bulk silicate Earth.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2012

Geo-neutrinos and the Radioactive Power of the Earth

Chemical and physical Earth models agree little as to the radioactive power of the planet. Each predicts a range of radioactive powers, overlapping slightly with the other at about 24 TW, and together spanning 14-46 TW. Approximately 20 % of this radioactive power (3-8 TW) escapes to space in the form of geo-neutrinos. The remaining 11-38 TW heats the planet with significant geo-dynamical consequences, appearing as the radiogenic component of the 43-49 TW surface heat flow. The non-radiogenic component of the surface heat flow (5-38 TW) is presumably primordial, a legacy of the formation and early evolution of the planet. A constraining measurement of radiogenic heating provides insights to the thermal history of the Earth and potentially discriminates chemical and physical Earth models. Radiogenic heating in the planet primarily springs from unstable nuclides of uranium, thorium, and potassium. The paths to their stable daughter nuclides include nuclear beta decays, producing geo-neutrinos. Large sub-surface detectors efficiently record the energy but not the direction of the infrequent interactions of the highest energy geo-neutrinos, originating only from uranium and thorium. The measured energy spectrum of the interactions estimates the relative amounts of these heat-producing elements, while the intensity estimates planetary radiogenic power. Recent geo-neutrino observations in Japan and Italy find consistent values of radiogenic heating. The combined result mildly excludes the lowest model values of radiogenic heating and, assuming whole mantle convection, identifies primordial heat loss. Future observations have the potential to measure radiogenic heating with better precision, further constraining geological models and the thermal evolution of the Earth.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2012

The next-generation liquid-scintillator neutrino observatory LENA

We propose the liquid-scintillator detector LENA (Low Energy Neutrino Astronomy) as a next-generation neutrino observatory on the scale of 50 kt. The outstanding successes of the Borexino and KamLAND experiments demonstrate the large potential of liquid-scintillator detectors in low-energy neutrino physics. LENA's physics objectives comprise the observation of astrophysical and terrestrial neutrino sources as well as the investigation of neutrino oscillations. In the GeV energy range, the search for proton decay and long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments complement the low-energy program. Based on the considerable expertise present in European and international research groups, the technical design is sufficiently mature to allow for an early start of detector realization.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2010

Geo-neutrinos and Silicate Earth Enrichment of U and Th

The terrestrial distribution of U, Th, and K abundances governs the thermal evolution, traces the differentiation, and reflects the bulk composition of the earth. Comparing the bulk earth composition to chondritic meteorites estimates the net amounts of these radiogenic heat-producing elements available for partitioning to the crust, mantle, and core. Core formation enriches the abundances of refractory lithophile elements, including U and Th, in the silicate earth by ~1.5. Global removal of volatile elements potentially increases this enrichment to ~2.8. The K content of the silicate earth follows from the ratio of K to U. Variable enrichment produces a range of possible heat-producing element abundances in the silicate earth. A model assesses the essentially fixed amounts of U, Th, and K in the approximately closed crust reservoir. Subtracting these sequestered crustal amounts from the variable amounts in the silicate earth results in a range of possible mantle allocations, leaving global dynamics and thermal evolution poorly constrained. Terrestrial antineutrinos from β-emitting daughter nuclei in the U and Th decay series traverse the earth with negligible attenuation. The rate at which large subsurface instruments observe these geo-neutrinos depends on the distribution of U and Th relative to the detector. Geo-neutrino observations with sensitivity to U and Th in the mantle are able to estimate silicate earth enrichment, leading to a more complete understanding of the origin, accretion, differentiation, and thermal history of the planet.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2009

Testing Geological Models with Terrestrial Antineutrino Flux Measurements

Uranium and thorium are the main heat producing elements in the earth. Their quantities and distributions, which specify the flux of detectable antineutrinos generated by the beta decay of their daughter isotopes, remain unmeasured. Geological models of the continental crust and the mantle predict different quantities and distributions of uranium and thorium. Many of these differences are resolvable with precision measurements of the terrestrial antineutrino flux. This precision depends on both statistical and systematic uncertainties. An unavoidable background of antineutrinos from nuclear reactors typically dominates the systematic uncertainty. This report explores in detail the capability of various operating and proposed geo-neutrino detectors for testing geological models.

physics.geo-ph↗

arXiv2008

Determination of Neutrino Mass Hierarchy and Theta_13 with a Remote Detector of Reactor Antineutrinos

We describe a method for determining the hierarchy of the neutrino mass spectrum and theta_13 through remote detection of antineutrinos from a nuclear reactor. This method utilizing a single, 10-kt scintillating liquid detector at a distance of 50-64 kilometers from the reactor complex measures mass-squared differences involving nu_3 with a one (ten) year exposure provided sin2(2theta_13)>0.05 (0.02). Our technique applies the Fourier transform to the event rate as a function of neutrino flight distance over energy. Sweeping over a relevant range of delta-m2 resolves separate spectral peaks for delta-m2_31 and delta-m2_32. For normal (inverted) hierarchy the absolute value of delta-m2_31 is greater (lesser) than the absolute value of delta-m2_32. This robust method requires a detector energy resolution of 3.5% divided by the square root of the scintillation energy.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2006

Science Potential of a Deep Ocean Antineutrino Observatory

This paper presents science potential of a deep ocean antineutrino observatory under development at Hawaii. The observatory design allows for relocation from one site to another. Positioning the observatory some 60 km distant from a nuclear reactor complex enables precision measurement of neutrino mixing parameters, leading to a determination of neutrino mass hierarchy. At a mid-Pacific location the observatory measures the flux and ratio of uranium and thorium decay neutrinos from earth's mantle and performs a sensitive search for a hypothetical natural fission reactor in earth's core. A subsequent deployment at another mid-ocean location would test lateral heterogeneity of uranium and thorium in earth's mantle.

hep-ex↗