2004/11/12 by G. V. Domogatsky, G. Domogatsky, V. Kopeikin +5
Physics and Astronomy · #Continental crust #Crust #Detector #Earth (classical element) #Mantle (geology) #Neutrino Physics Research #Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies #Radioactive Decay and Measurement Techniques #Radioactive decay #Radiogenic nuclide #Scintillation #hep-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1134/s1063778806110135
published as Phys.Atom.Nucl.69:1894-1898,2006 · 9 pages in LaTeX file, 7 ps figures. Paper submitted to journal Physics of Atomic Nuclei
arxiv created 2004/11/12 · openalex publication_date 2006/11/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2019/06/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Antineutrinos born in the U and Th decay chains inside the Earth (geoneutrinos) carry information on the amount and distribution of radiogenic heat sources, which is of fundamental importance for geophysics. Models of the Earth distribute U and Th masses mainly between the continental crust and the lower mantle. It has been much discussed recently that a number of detectors stationed at appropriate geographical sites can separate the crust and mantle contributions. We analyze directional separation of ν e signals arriving from the crust and the lower mantle with only one detector. We find that, with an ∼ 30-kt liquid scintillation antineutrino spectrometer using the ν e + p → e + + n detection reaction and positron and neutron coordinate reconstruction techniques, the U and Th distribution model can roughly be tested. We also consider detector calibration using an ∼ 1-MCi commercially available 90Sr-90Y beta source which emits ν e (E ν,max = 2.28 MeV) in the geoneutrino energy range.