Speaker
Description
The proposed neutrino detector HALO-1kT will be used to detect neutrinos
from core-collapse supernova events and will contribute to our
understanding of the stars’ explosion mechanism. Its detection method is
based on neutrinos interacting with lead nuclei which then emit neutrons
that can be detected through helium counters. However, neutrino-lead
cross sections at supernova energy scale are yet to be accurately
measured. To help address this problem, a smaller scale prototype
detector called Mini-HALO will be placed at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory where a pulsed beam of neutrinos from the Spallation Neutron
Source will interact with the lead in the detector producing neutrons.
The measured cross-sections will then be used in HALO-1kT to constrain
the number of neutrons we expect from a supernova signal. In order to
obtain highly accurate measurements, a muon veto system will be
installed on Mini-HALO to veto events induced by cosmic muons
interacting in the detector that can be otherwise misidentified as
signals from neutrino interactions. A suit of GEANT4 Monte Carlo
simulations has been developed to study and build an optimized geometry
of the muon veto system. These simulations consist of PVT polymer-based
scintillator panels surrounding the detector which generate optical
photons when traversed by high energy muons. Results from these
simulations such as the energy deposited in the scintillator panels, the
multiplicity of neutrons produced in muon-lead interactions in the
detector, and detector dead-time will be addressed along with
discussions on how these results can be used to veto the muon-induced
signals in the detector.
