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Exploring the hidden interior of the Earth with directional neutrino measurements

Author

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  • Michael Leyton

    (Institut de Física d’Altes Energies, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Facultat Ciencies Nord, Campus UAB
    Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Stephen Dye

    (University of Hawaii)

  • Jocelyn Monroe

    (Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), 1-1 Oho)

Abstract

Roughly 40% of the Earth’s total heat flow is powered by radioactive decays in the crust and mantle. Geo-neutrinos produced by these decays provide important clues about the origin, formation and thermal evolution of our planet, as well as the composition of its interior. Previous measurements of geo-neutrinos have all relied on the detection of inverse beta decay reactions, which are insensitive to the contribution from potassium and do not provide model-independent information about the spatial distribution of geo-neutrino sources within the Earth. Here we present a method for measuring previously unresolved components of Earth’s radiogenic heating using neutrino-electron elastic scattering and low-background, direction-sensitive tracking detectors. We calculate the exposures needed to probe various contributions to the total geo-neutrino flux, specifically those associated to potassium, the mantle and the core. The measurements proposed here chart a course for pioneering exploration of the veiled inner workings of the Earth.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Leyton & Stephen Dye & Jocelyn Monroe, 2017. "Exploring the hidden interior of the Earth with directional neutrino measurements," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms15989
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15989
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