A process to detect neutrinos of vanishing kinetic energy by means of unstable target nuclei.

par Dr Marcello MESSINA (Laboratory for High Energy Physics University of Bern)

vendredi 23 mai 2008, 14:30 → 15:30 Europe/Paris

Batiment 25, Salle de VisioConference (IPHC/DRS)

In this seminar we discuss the possibility to detect Cosmological Relic Neutrinos (CRN), the oldest massive relic particles produced in the Big Bang. After an overview of the detection methods proposed so far we illustrate the idea of using unstable target nuclei to unambiguously detect the CRN background. The crucial feature of this process is that it does not require any minimum energy for the neutrino to interact with the nucleus. Detailed calculations show that relic neutrino interaction on beta decaying nuclei could happen with a value of the cross section times the neutrino velocity as high as $10^{-42} cm^{2}\cdot c$. We also briefly report about possible phenomenon that could enhance the interaction rate and illustrate an experimental technique that could be realized in a not so far future.

Slides strasbourg_seminar.pdf