2005/08/03 by S. Enomoto, Enomoto, S., Eiji Ohtani +5
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Earthquake Detection and Analysis #FOS: Physical sciences #High Energy Physics - Phenomenology (hep-ph) #Neutrino Physics Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.hep-ph/0508049
openalex publication_date 2005/08/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The Kamioka liquid scintillator anti-neutrino detector (KamLAND) is a low-energy and low-background neutrino detector which could be a useful probe for determining the U and Th abundances of the Earth. We constructed a model of the Earth in order to evaluate the rate of geologically produced anti-neutrinos (geo-neutrinos) detectable by KamLAND. We found that KamLAND can be used to determine the absolute abundances of U and Th in the Earth with an accuracy sufficient for placing important constraints on Earth's accretional process and succeeding thermal history. The present observation of geo-neutrinos with KamLAND is consistent with our model prediction based on the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) composition within the uncertainty of the measurement. If a neutrino detector were to be built in Hawaii, where effects of the continental crust would be negligible, it could be used to estimate the U and Th content in the lower mantle and the core. Our calculation of the geo-neutrino event rate on the Earth's surface indicates that geo-neutrino observation can provide key information for testing the current models for the content and distribution of U and Th in the Earth.