SNO+ Data Taking, Analysis and Operations

SNO+是萨德伯里中微子天文台（SNO）的后续实验。液体闪烁体将取代SNO探测器中的重水。通过这样做，将实现在低能量下具有扩展灵敏度的新实验。SNO+将能够解决粒子物理学、地球科学和天体物理学中的基本问题。SNO+将从SNO中断的地方开始，并将扩大我们对中微子及其对宇宙演化的影响的理解。******当中微子在液体闪烁体中相互作用时，它发出的光比在水中多50倍。因此，SNO+将能够探测到比SNO能量更低的中微子。来自太阳的低能中微子将被研究，以阐明中微子的性质和恒星中的能量产生过程。另外，来自地球自然放射性的地球中微子将被SNO+探测到。探测到的地球中微子的数量可以与地球深部放射性总量及其在地球热过程和历史中的作用有关。来自附近核动力反应堆的反中微子将被用来测量控制中微子振荡现象的参数。最后，通过在液体闪烁体中分散碲，还将研究SNO+中极其罕见的核衰变。对这一过程的观察，被称为中微子双β衰变（130Te），将告诉物理学家中微子的物质-反物质特性，以及它与宇宙中物质和反物质的宇宙学问题的联系。基本的对称性和与更高能量尺度的物理的联系也都与双衰变有关。因此，对中微子双β衰变的实验研究被认为是当今核物理和粒子物理中最重要的研究之一。******SNO+正在过渡到项目的调试、运营和数据采集阶段。到2016年底，探测器将完全充满水。来自充水SNO+的数据将用于研究探测器光学和背景，并完成电子/数据采集调试。闪烁体净化装置的调试将同时进行。2017年年中，闪烁体装置和SNO+探测器将准备好接收和净化液体闪烁体。加拿大将进行强有力的分析工作，从第一批SNO+数据中提取物理结果。本提案要求资金支持：HQP、差旅、与SNO+调试、数据采集、碲液体闪烁体材料处理和早期物理研究相关的材料和供应。此外，还需要资金支持现场的SNO+操作（例如探测器经理、化验技术人员、工厂操作员）。

SNO+ is the follow-up experiment to the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO). Liquid scintillator will replace the heavy water that was in the SNO detector. By doing so, a new experiment with extended sensitivity at lower energies will be realized. SNO+ will be able to address fundamental questions in particle physics, in geosciences, and in astrophysics. SNO+ will start where SNO left off and will expand our understanding of the neutrino and its impact on the evolution of the Universe.******A liquid scintillator emits over 50 times more light when a neutrino interacts in it compared to in water. Consequently SNO+ will be able to detect neutrinos with lower energies than SNO. Lower energy neutrinos from the Sun will be studied to shed light on the properties of neutrinos and the energy generation processes in stars. Separately, geo neutrinos from natural radioactivity in the Earth will be detected by SNO+. The quantity of geo neutrinos detected can be related to the total amount of radioactivity in the deep Earth and its role in Earth's thermal processes and history. Antineutrinos from nearby nuclear power reactors will be used to measure the parameters that govern the phenomenon of neutrino oscillations. Finally, an extremely rare nuclear decay will also be studied in SNO+ by dispersing tellurium in the liquid scintillator. Observation of this process, known as neutrinoless double beta decay (of 130Te), would tell physicists about the matter-antimatter properties of the neutrino, and its connection to cosmological questions about matter and antimatter in the Universe. Fundamental symmetries and a connection to physics at higher energy scales are also both related to double beta decay. Hence, the experimental search for neutrinoless double beta decay is considered one of the most important pursuits in nuclear and particle physics today.******SNO+ is transitioning to the commissioning, operations and data taking phase of the project. In late 2016, the detector will be completely filled with water. Data from water-filled SNO+ will be used to study detector optics and backgrounds, and to complete electronics/data acquisition commissioning. The commissioning of the scintillator purification plant will be taking place concurrently. In mid 2017, the scintillator plant and the SNO+ detector will be ready to receive and purify liquid scintillator. There will be a strong Canadian analysis effort that will extract physics results from the first SNO+ data. This proposal requests funds to support: HQP, travel, and materials and supplies related to SNO+ commissioning, data taking, tellurium liquid scintillator materials processing, and early physics studies. In addition, funds to support SNO+ operations at site (e.g. Detector Manager, assay technicians, plant operators) are required and are being requested.