| Irfu-10-183
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| SNIF: A Futuristic Neutrino Probe for Undeclared Nuclear Fission Reactors |
| Th. Lasserre, M. Fechner, G. Mention, R. Reboulleau, M. Cribier, A. Letourneau, D. Lhuillier,J.L. Sida |
| Today reactor neutrino experiments are at the cutting edge of
fundamental research in particle physics. Understanding the
neutrino is far from complete, but thanks to the impressive progress
in this field over the last 15 years, a few research groups are
seriously considering that neutrinos could be useful for society. The
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) works with its Member States
to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. In a
context of international tension, neutrino detectors could help IAEA
to enforce the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
(NPT).
In this article we discuss a futuristic neutrino application to detect and localize an
undeclared nuclear reactor from across borders. The
SNIF (Secret Neutrino Interactions Finder) project propose
using a few hundred thousand tons neutrino detectors to unveil
clandestine fission reactors. Beyond previous
studies we provide estimates of all known background sources as a function
of the detector\'s longitude, latitude and depth, and we discuss
how they impact the detectability. |
