Inferência bayesiana na determinação do ângulo de mistura θ13, no experimento Double Chooz

Abstract

The Experiment Double Chooz, as other experiments, use detectors based on the identification of inverse beta reactions. The neutron and positron generated by such reactions generate radiation that are catches by photomultiplier that allows restore the energy of the neutrino that triggered the whole process. In this way you can get the energy spectrum of the neutrinos from the reactor. The same spectrum can be predicted based on models of thermonuclear reactions that occur in the reactor. The comparison of these two spectra allows to identify the existence of oscillation neutrino flavors, besides being able to quantify the main parameter of this oscillation, which is the mixing angle θ13. However, there are physical processes, such as natural radioactivity present in the surrounding medium that generate signals that can not be distinguished from signals generated by neutrino. These physical processes produce backgrounds that need to be discounted in the identification of neutrinos. In our work, the Bayesian analysis is used to infer the mixing angle θ13, taking into account all these backgrounds. The distinctive feature of the Bayesian analysis is the possibility of using probability distributions defined based on the subjective perception of the researcher and the data previously established about the object of study.