Göttingen 2012 – scientific programme

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 110: Niederenergie-Neutrinophysik/Suche nach Dunkler Materie 5

T 110.5: Talk

Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 17:50–18:05, ZHG 102

Proton Recoils in Organic Liquid Scintillator — •Jürgen Winter — for the LENA working group - Technische Universität München, Physik Department E15, James Franck Straße, 85748 Garching

In liquid-scintillator detectors like the LENA (Low Energy Neutrino Astronomy) project, understanding the nature of proton recoils is vital. First of all concerning the observation of the diffuse Supernova ν_e background with the inverse beta decay (IBD). This signature can be mimicked by the thermalization and capture of a knockout neutron originating from inelastic NC interactions of atmospheric neutrinos on ¹²C. However, with the help of pulse shape discrimination between the neutron-induced proton recoils and the prompt positron signal from the IBD, this background might be reduced effectively. Furthermore, elastic ν-p scattering is an important channel for neutrinos from a galactic core-collapse SN. In order to reconstruct the initial neutrino energy, the energy-dependent quenching factor of proton recoils has to be known. Therefore, a neutron scattering experiment at the Maier-Leibnitz-Laboratorium in Garching has been set up in order to understand the response of proton recoils in organic liquid scintillator.

This work has been supported by the Maier-Leibnitz-Laboratorium and the cluster of excellence ’Origin and Structure of the Universe’.