论文标题
检测器优化以减少道中的宇宙中子背景
Detector optimization to reduce the cosmogenic neutron backgrounds in the TAO experiment
论文作者
论文摘要
浅层覆盖层的短基线反应堆抗肿瘤实验通常具有较大的宇宙中子背景。 Taishan抗神经天文台(TAO)是位于距Taishan核电站核心约30 m的吨级液体闪烁体检测器。它将以高精度和高能量分辨率测量反应堆抗神经光谱,以提供JUNO和其他反应堆抗神经抗体实验的参考光谱,并为测试核数据库提供基准测量。背景是道的关键问题之一,因为覆盖层仅是10米 - 水等效的。据估计,宇宙中子背景约为信号的10%。通过详细的蒙特卡洛模拟,我们提出了这项工作中的几项措施,以减少中子背景,包括在缓冲液中掺杂gadolinium,在底部铅屏蔽层上方添加聚乙烯层以及对否决策略的优化。通过这些改进,中子背景与信号比率可以降低到约2%,并且可能会因脉搏形状歧视而进一步抑制。
Short-baseline reactor antineutrino experiments with shallow overburden usually have large cosmogenic neutron backgrounds. The Taishan Antineutrino Observatory (TAO) is a ton-level liquid scintillator detector located at about 30 m from a core of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. It will measure the reactor antineutrino spectrum with high precision and high energy resolution to provide a reference spectrum for JUNO and other reactor antineutrino experiments, and provide a benchmark measurement to test nuclear databases. Background is one of the critical concerns of TAO since the overburden is just 10 meter-water-equivalent. The cosmogenic neutron background was estimated to be ~10% of signals. With detailed Monte Carlo simulations, we propose several measures in this work to reduce the neutron backgrounds, including doping Gadolinium in the buffer liquid, adding a polyethylene layer above the bottom lead shield, and optimization of the veto strategy. With these improvements, the neutron background-to-signal ratio can be reduced to ~2%, and might be further suppressed with pulse shape discrimination.