LNS Special Seminar

Prof. John G. Learned, University of Hawaii, Manoa

"Neutrinos are smart: blind ranging of nuclear reactors and other peculiar properties"

Abstract: 

Neutrinos are unlike any other particle in many ways such as small probability of interacting with matter, extremely small mass, and astounding abundance tracing back to the Big Bang, accounting for almost as much mass-energy as all the visible stars. Their perhaps most amazing and unique property is that each neutrino contains it's own clock, tracing back to the time of its birth. We will also mention astrophysical aspects such as wave packet separation.

We will discuss these characteristics, and carry forward to how this permits the blind recognition of distant nuclear reactors and their properties of range and power.  We call this NuDar, but unlike radar reactors are the source of the signal, both impossible to hide or modify, and cannot be faked. In this context we will discuss the Watchman project and nuclear non-proliferation motivated efforts towards long range neutrino monitoring, and our UH role in this program.