Short-baseline electron antineutrino disappearance study by using neutrino sources from ¹³C + ⁹Be reaction

To investigate the existence of sterile neutrino, we propose a new neutrino production method using ¹³C beams and a ⁹Be target for short-baseline electron antineutrino (_e) disappearance study. The production of secondary unstable isotopes which can emit neutrinos from the ¹³C + ⁹Be reaction is calculated with three different nucleus-nucleus (AA) reaction models. Different isotope yields are obtained using these models, but the results of the neutrino flux are found to have unanimous similarities. This feature gives an opportunity to study neutrino oscillation through shape analysis. In this work, expected neutrino flux and event rates are discussed in detail through intensive simulation of the light ion collision reaction and the neutrino flux from the beta decay of unstable isotopes followed by this collision. Together with the reactor and accelerator anomalies, the present proposed _e source is shown to be a practically alternative test of the existence of the Δ m² ∼ 1 eV² scale sterile neutrino.