| NSF Org: |
PHY Division Of Physics |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 4, 2005 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 17, 2007 |
| Award Number: | 0501118 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Jonathan Whitmore
PHY Division Of Physics MPS Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2005 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2009 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $990,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $990,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2006 = $360,000.00 FY 2007 = $360,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
300 TURNER ST NW BLACKSBURG VA US 24060-3359 (540)231-5281 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
300 TURNER ST NW BLACKSBURG VA US 24060-3359 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS |
| Primary Program Source: |
app-0106 app-0107 |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.049 |
ABSTRACT
The Borexino experiment is designed to measure the Be-7
neutrino flux from the Sun in real-time. The signal is generated
by neutrino-electron scattering in a scintillator. Since the Be-7
neutrino is mono-energetic, the signature in our resulting spectra will be
a 'Compton-like' edge, with few other distinguishing characteristics.
The detector has the ability to separate alpha- from beta-events, however, and
there is also the potential to observe a solar 'signature' due to the
annual variation of the neutrino rate arising from the changing
Earth-Sun distance. Thus, energy, particle ID, and fiducial volume
calibration are all of paramount importance.
Measuring the Be-7 neutrino flux (to ~5%) is critical to
establishing that the MSW mechanism is indeed the operating physics
behind the solution of the 'solar neutrino problem' as implied by
measurements at higher neutrino energies (such as SNO and SuperK).
This grant will enable the calibration of the Borexino
detector using internal (and external) radioactive sources which can be
accurately located within the detector. It will also allow for
an analysis effort at Virginia Tech to help extract meaningful
results from a background dominated experiment (the purities in
the scintillator required are extraordinary: in the range of
10^-17 to 10^-15 g(U/Th)/g(scint).
While the principle goal is to measure the Be-7 solar
neutrino flux, if the purity is sufficient, there may be
opportunity to detect the pep neutrinos as well. This would
be equivalent to measuring the pp-neutrino flux from the Sun
(and thus the Solar 'neutrino' luminosity). This would provide
an excellent overall check of our neutrino and SSM knowledge.
The group working under this grant is also pursuing other
means of measuring the pp flux, and the expertise/techniques
being developed to calibrate Borexino may eventually prove
useful in this endeavor as well.
--
R. Bruce Vogelaar http://www.phys.vt.edu/~vogelaar
Physics Department (0435) mailto:vogelaar@vt.edu
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
(540) 231-8735 office
(540) 231-7511 fax
(540) 239-5963 cell
(540) 951-4875 home
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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