Speaker
Description
Neutrino Oscillation Tomography probes the structure of the Earth by leveraging the dependence of atmospheric neutrino oscillation probabilities on changes in the electron number density (the product of density and composition) along the neutrino path. This technique provides a complement to other geophysical methods (e.g., seismology) for studying the Earth's core and mantle.
A target for this method are the Large Low-Velocity Provinces (LLVPs), two massive structures (~100s to 1000 km high) resting atop the core-mantle boundary (CMB) and covering ~20% of its surface. LLVPs influence critical Earth processes such as mantle convection, plate tectonics, and the geodynamo, yet their density, composition, and origin remain uncertain. Conflicting geophysical studies suggest they could be denser or less dense than the surrounding mantle, or exhibit a depth-dependent density profile. Their mineralogical composition is also ambiguous, with no direct method for confirmation
Here, we assess the sensitivity of this technique to variations in electron number density and geometry of LLVPs. Using a custom simulation framework based on the OscProb solver, we generate event distributions for two 3D Earth models: 1) a model with an assumed mantle structure based on the Preliminary Reference Earth Model (PREM) and 2) an alternative model incorporating an LLVP-like volume, consisting of three overlapping ~300 km-thick slab segments, with a specific percentage difference in electron number density relative to the ambient mantle in model 1. Sensitivity is evaluated via a Log-Likelihood Ratio (LLR) test, allowing us to assess constraints on LLVP properties and rule out potential origins.
