New Limits on the Coherent Neutrino-Nucleus Elastic Scattering Cross Section at the Kuo-Sheng Reactor-Neutrino Laboratory
Physical Review Letters, vol.134, no.12, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 134 Issue: 12
- Publication Date: 2025
- Doi Number: 10.1103/physrevlett.134.121802
- Journal Name: Physical Review Letters
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Aerospace Database, Chemical Abstracts Core, Compendex, INSPEC, zbMATH, DIALNET, Nature Index
- Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
Neutrino-nucleus elastic scattering (νAel) with partial quantum-mechanical coherency has been observed in several nuclei with neutrinos from decay-At-rest pions. This interaction with reactor neutrinos where coherency is >95% has not yet been experimentally observed. We present new results on the studies of the νAel cross section with an electrocooled p-Type point-contact germanium detector at the Kuo-Sheng Reactor Neutrino Laboratory. A total of 242(357) kg-days of Reactor ON(OFF) data at a detector threshold of 200 eV in ionization energy are analyzed. The Lindhard model parametrized by a single variable k which characterizes the quenching function was used. A limit at 90% confidence level of ρ<4.7 at the predicted value of k=0.162 is derived, where ρ is the ratio of the measured to standard model (SM) cross section. Conversely, k<0.288 at the SM value of ρ=1.