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Neutrino Detectors

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Handbook of Particle Detection and Imaging

Abstract

The neutrino was postulated by Wolfgang Pauli in the early 1930s, but could only be detected for the first time in the 1950s. Ever since scientists all around the world have worked on the detection and understanding of this particle which so scarcely interacts with matter. Depending on the origin and nature of the neutrino, various types of experiments have been developed and operated. In this entry, we will review neutrino detectors in terms of neutrino energy and associated detection technique as well as the scientific outcome of some selected examples. After a brief historical introduction, the detection of low-energy neutrinos originating from nuclear reactors or from the Earth is used to illustrate the principles and difficulties which are encountered in detecting neutrinos. In the context of solar neutrino spectroscopy, where the neutrino is used as a probe for astrophysics, three different types of neutrino detectors are presented – water Čerenkov, radiochemical, and liquid-scintillator detectors. Moving to higher neutrino energies, we discuss neutrinos produced by astrophysical sources and from accelerators. The entry concludes with an overview of a selection of future neutrino experiments and their scientific goals.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physik Department der, Technische Universität München, James Franck Str., 85748, Garching, Germany

    Franz von Feilitzsch

  2. Physik Department der, Technische Universität München, James Franck Str., 85748, Garching, Germany

    Jean-Côme Lanfranchi

  3. Physik Department der, Technische Universität München, James Franck Str., 85748, Garching, Germany

    Michael Wurm

Authors
  1. Franz von Feilitzsch
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  2. Jean-Côme Lanfranchi
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  3. Michael Wurm
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Siegen University, Emmy-Noether-Campus, Walter-Flex-Str. 3, 57072, Siegen, Germany

    Claus Grupen

  2. IMNC-UMR 8165 CNRS, Paris 7 and Paris 11 Universities, Orsay Campus, Building 440, 91406, Orsay Cedex, France

    Irène Buvat

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von Feilitzsch, F., Lanfranchi, JC., Wurm, M. (2012). Neutrino Detectors. In: Grupen, C., Buvat, I. (eds) Handbook of Particle Detection and Imaging. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13271-1_14

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