Feasibility study of constructing a small-scale neutrino detector for the University of North Carolina at Asheville: connecting undergraduate students to particle physics

Neutrino detection plays a vital role in understanding fundamental questions about the universe; from neutrino oscillations to studying supernovae millions of light years away, neutrinos can help answer some of the biggest questions in particle and astrophysics. Neutrino detectors are advancing rapidly, allowing more detections from these elusive particles. While the majority of neutrino detectors are on a grand scale, this project explores the limits of neutrino detector sizes, and it evaluates the feasibility of using a National Science Foundation grant in the amount of $200,000 to construct a small-scale neutrino detector to be used by the physics department to study neutrino oscillations and cosmic phenomena. We will explore the feasibility of detecting atmospheric neutrinos using a water Cherenkov detector or a scintillating detector. Additionally, we investigate the construction of a portable detector that could be transported to neighboring neutrino sources, such as the nuclear facility at NC State or the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) particle accelerator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We will do this by considering scattering cross sections, neutrino fluxes, detector sensitivities, and the ability to shield or veto cosmic ray detections. Moreover, we aim to learn what collaboration would be required for this scope of project and if they are available in our institution, as well as other primarily undergraduate institutions. We will investigate the technical and financial requirements of a project of this magnitude and assess the detector design, cost, safety considerations, and whether the detector can be integrated into the current physics curriculum.