Speaker
Dr
Matteo Agostini
(Technische Universität München & Gran Sasso Science Institute)
Description
The Borexino detector has convincingly shown its outstanding performances in the low energy regime through its accomplishments in the solar and geo neutrinos detection. These performances make it the ideal tool to accomplish a state-of-the-art, source based experiment able to test the long-standing issue of the existence of a sterile neutrino, as suggested by the several anomalous results accumulated over the past two decades, i.e. the outputs of the LSND and Miniboone experiments, the results of the source calibration of the two Gallium experiments, and the recently hinted reactor anomaly.
The SOX project can exploit two sources, based on Chromium and Cerium, respectively, which deployed under the experiment, in a location foreseen on purpose at the time of the construction of the detector, will emit two intense beams of neutrinos (Cr) and anti-neutrinos (Ce). Interacting in the active volume of the liquid scintillator, each beam would create an unmistakable spatial wave pattern in case of oscillation of the nu-e (or anti nu-e) into the sterile state: such a pattern would be the smoking gun proving the presence of the new sterile member of the neutrino family. Otherwise, its absence will allow setting very stringent limit on the existence of the hypothesized sterile state.
The talk will outline the project, discuss the sensitivity of both Cerium and Chromium measurements and update about the status of the realization of the first planned measurement based on Cerium.
Primary author
Collaboration Borexino
(LNGS)
