Speaker
Giuseppe Salamanna
(University and INFN Roma Tre)
Description
The JUNO liquid scintillator-based experiment, construction of which in ongoing
in Jiangmen (China), will start operations in 2020 and will detect antineutrinos
from nearby reactors; but also solar neutrinos via elastic scattering
on electrons. Its physics goals are broad; its primary aim to measure the
neutrino mass ordering demands to collect large statistics (from which
descends JUNO’s 20 kt sensitive mass) and achieve an unprecedented
energy resolution (3%/√E). Thanks to these characteristics, JUNO is in a very
good position to improve on the solar neutrino studies of previous experiments
of similar technology. It will collect a large sample of neutrinos from 7Be and
8B. In particular, for 7Be the target energy resolution will provide a powerful
tool to isolate the electron energy end point from backgrounds like 210Bi and
85Kr. At the same time, challenges will have to be faced mainly related to the
reduction and estimation of the backgrounds. While a thorough LS purification
campaign is being planned, the desired level of purification is less aggressive
than e.g. Borexino. Also, cosmogenic backgrounds such as cosmic ray muons
traversing the relatively thin layer of ground above JUNO (700 m) and
crossing the detector will need to be vetoed with dedicated techniques for the
extraction of 8B. Finally, the limitation from the current benchmark energy
threshold of 500 keV will need to be considered for the solar physics potential.
We will review JUNO's preliminary analysis strategy and challenges in the
solar neutrino sector; and provide the current estimates of its potential to
discriminate solar models and neutrino-in-matter effects, assuming two
benchmark scenarios of scintillator radio-purity.
Primary author
Giuseppe Salamanna
(University and INFN Roma Tre)
