Advantages of Multiple Detectors for the Neutrino Mass Hierarchy Determination at Reactor Experiments

Abstract

We study the advantages of a second identical detector at a medium baseline reactor neutrino experiment. A major obstruction to the determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy is the detector's unknown nonlinear energy response, which even under optimistic assumptions reduces the confidence in a hierarchy determination by about 1 sigma at a single detector experiment. Various energy response models are considered at one and two detector experiments with the same total target mass. A second detector at a sufficiently different baseline eliminates this 1 sigma reduction. Considering the unknown energy response, we find the confidence in a hierarchy determination at various candidate detector locations for JUNO and RENO 50. The best site for JUNO's near detector is under ZiLuoShan, 17 km and 66 km from the Yangjiang and Taishan reactor complexes respectively. We briefly describe other advantages, including a more precise determination of theta12 and the possibility of a DAEdALUS-inspired program to measure the CP-violating phase delta using a single pion source about 10 km from one detector and 20 km from the other. Two identical detectors provide a better energy resolution than a single (larger) detector, further increasing the confidence in a hierarchy determination.

24 pages, 6 jpg figures

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• On the Bayesian approach to neutrino mass ordering
• Constraining Super-light Sterile Neutrino Scenario by JUNO and RENO-50
• Showering Cosmogenic Muons in A Large Liquid Scintillator
• Mass hierarchy sensitivity of medium baseline reactor neutrino experiments with multiple detectors
• Studying the neutrino wave-packet effects at medium-baseline reactor neutrino oscillation experiments and the potential benefits of an extra detector
• Confidence in the neutrino mass hierarchy
• Uncertainty in the Reactor Neutrino Spectrum and Mass Hierarchy Determination
• Potential impact of sub-structure on the resolution of neutrino mass hierarchy at medium-baseline reactor neutrino oscillation experiments
• Vetoing Cosmogenic Muons in A Large Liquid Scintillator