Physics, abstract
physics/0607230

From: Nikolai Tolich [view email]

Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 23:33:32 GMT (287kb)

A geoneutrino experiment at Homestake

Authors: N. Tolich, Y.-D. Chan, C.A. Currat, M.P. Decowski, B.K. Fujikawa, R. Henning, K.T. Lesko, A.W.P. Poon, K. Tolich, J. Wang

Comments: proceedings for Neutrino Sciences 2005, submitted to Earth, Moon, and Planets

Report-no: LBNL-60311

Subj-class: Geophysics

A significant fraction of the 44TW of heat dissipation from the Earth's interior is believed to originate from the decays of terrestrial uranium and thorium. The only estimates of this radiogenic heat, which is the driving force for mantle convection, come from Earth models based on meteorites, and have large systematic errors. The detection of electron antineutrinos produced by these uranium and thorium decays would allow a more direct measure of the total uranium and thorium content, and hence radiogenic heat production in the Earth. We discuss the prospect of building an electron antineutrino detector approximately 700m^3 in size in the Homestake mine at the 4850' level. This would allow us to make a measurement of the total uranium and thorium content with a statistical error less than the systematic error from our current knowledge of neutrino oscillation parameters. It would also allow us to test the hypothesis of a naturally occurring nuclear reactor at the center of the Earth.

http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0607230