Measurement of the pep and CNO Solar Neutrino Interaction Rates in Borexino
By: by Stefano Davini
Series: Springer Theses, Recognizing Outstanding Ph.D. Research
Publisher: Springer International Publishing; Imprint: Springer
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Cham
Language: eng
Number of pages: 137
ISBN-13: 9783319012131; 9783319012124
Subjects: Physics; Quantum theory; Astrophysics and Astroparticles; Quantum Field Theory Elementary Particles; Measurement Science and Instrumentation
Description: Solar neutrino experiments have proved to be sensitive tools to test both astrophysical and elementary particle physics models. Neutrinos coming from the Sun offer a window into the inner workings of our star. Both the first evidence and the first discoveries of neutrino oscillations have come from experiments which detected neutrinos from the Sun. The Borexino experiment at Laboratory Nazionali del Gran Sasso is designed to perform solar neutrino spectroscopy below 2 MeV. The key feature that allow Borexino to pursue this physics program is its ultra low background level. This thesis is devoted to the first direct measurement of the pep and CNO solar neutrino interaction rates in the Borexino experiment. The detection of the rare signals from pep and CNO solar neutrinos in Borexino requires novel analysis techniques, as the signal interaction rate in the active target is only a few counts per day, while the dominant background in the relevant energy region, the cosmogenic beta+ emitter carbon-11, produced in Borexino by cosmic muon interactions, is about 10 times higher.
Table of contents: title: Neutrino oscillations; title: Solar neutrino observations; title: The Borexino experiment; title: The Borexino detector response and simulation; title: Measurement of the pep and CNO solar neutrino interaction rates in Borexino; title: Conclusions.