IIHE invited seminar: From SNO to SNO+: deepening our understanding of neutrinos

by Dr Simon Peeters (University of Sussex)

Friday 10 Jun 2016, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Brussels

Jean Sacton Seminar room (1G003) (IIHE, VUB)

abstract: The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory is being upgraded to SNO+, which has as its main goal the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay. The upgrade is defined by filling the target volume with a novel scintillator mixture containing 130Te. The main goal of SNO+ is the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in this isotope. With a lower energy threshold than SNO, SNO+ will be also sensitive to other exciting new physics. In this talk, I will discuss the challenges that have been overcome to transform the SNO experiment and the current status of SNO+. I will explain why this novel why to look for neutrinoless double-beta decay is so exciting: not only can it lead to a world-leading limit, it also sets a path to the exploration of the full parameter space if neutrinos have the inverted mass hierarchy. I will also take you through the other exciting aspects of the physics programme of SNO+.