Speaker
Prof.
Fabio Mantovani
(Universita' di Ferrara)
Description
Low-energy neutrinos have very long mean free path and neutrinos emitted by astronomical bodies carry direct information on their internal composition and structure. Experimental detection of the solar neutrinos has already provided valuable information on radioactive processes inside the stars. Unlike the Sun, Earth emits mainly antineutrinos (called geoneutrinos) which are detected by inverse beta reaction, together with antineutrinos from nuclear reactors. The only two unsegmented liquid scintillation detectors which have measured both terrestrial and reactor antineutrinos are presently KamLAND (Japan) and Borexino (Italy). The two collaborations published new data almost simultaneously in March 2013. The seminar focuses on interpretation of observed antineutrinos signals in the frame of Terrestrial current models and of reactor antineutrino physics. New under construction or planned experiments will be also illustrated.
