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AGA: Arbeitsgruppe Physik und Abrüstung

AGA 9: Verification III – Antineutrino Detection

AGA 9.3: Talk

Friday, March 14, 2025, 13:00–13:30, HS HISKP

Drift parameter simulation of TMS TPC prototype for antineutrino detection — •Hannah-Lea Tegtmeyer¹, Malte Göttsche², Stefan Roth¹, and Yan-Jie Schnellbach³ — ¹III. Physikalisches Institut B, RWTH Aachen — ²Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) — ³TU Darmstadt

Antineutrino detectors can be utilized for non-intrusive verification measures, as they can be deployed externally or atop nuclear facilities with minimal disruption. To improve their utility, the development of portable detectors is critical. Time projection chambers (TPCs) designed to detect neutrinos and antineutrinos typically use liquid argon as a dense detection medium, but its requirement for cryogenic cooling presents logistical challenges. Furthermore, liquid argon is not well-suited for detecting antineutrinos in the energy ranges relevant for spent fuel (<2.2 MeV) or reactor monitoring (<8 MeV). In the alternative drift medium Tetramethylsilane (TMS), which contains protons in the molecule, antineutrinos can react via the inverse beta decay. In addition TMS has more relaxed cooling requirements near room temperature. This research involves simulating the drift parameters of a prototype TPC filled with TMS, aiming to identify the parameter ranges that support reasonable energy resolution and potentially directional sensitivity. The simulations help evaluate whether TMS is a viable alternative to traditional detection media, guiding the optimization of the prototype*s design and performance.

Keywords: safeguards; spent nuclear fuel; detector simulation