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This thesis highlights the development and analysis of multiple neutrino detectors deployed to the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as part of the COHERENT experiment. It includes a preliminary measurement of the neutrino-induced neutron cross section on lead, and analysis that led to the first inclusive electron-neutrino charged-current measurement on iodine. These results add to the small number of inelastic neutrino-nucleus cross sections measured in this energy range, which are useful for understanding supernova and solar neutrino detection sensitivity. Additionally, it discusses preliminary work for and design of COHERENT's ton-scale NaI coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) detector, currently being deployed to the SNS. Finally, it includes information on a campaign to measure the nuclear recoil quenching factor of NaI using multiple crystals, attempting to resolve inconsistencies with existing measurements.
List of contents
1 Introduction.- 2 Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEvNS) and the COHERENT Experiment.- 3 A Ton-Scale Detector for Observing CEvNS Recoils on Sodium
Nuclei.- 4 Measurement of Quenching Factors in NaI[Tl].- 5 Inelastic Charged-Current and Neutral-Current Interactions of Neutrinos on Nuclei.- 6 Neutrino-Induced Neutrons on Lead and Iron Nuclei.- 7 Inelastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering on Iodine Nuclei.- 8 Conclusion.
About the author
Samuel Hedges earned a B.S. in physics from the University of Puget Sound in 2011. In 2015, he completed a M.S. in physics from California State University, Long Beach working under the guidance of Dr. Jiyeong Gu, studying odd-triplet superconductivity in exchange-spring based Josephson junctions. He has interned at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory simulating the response of the BRAN luminosity monitor at the LHC, and at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory analyzing data from the 2009 Jupiter Impact Event.
He recently completed his PhD at Duke University, working under the guidance of Dr. Phil Barbeau, focusing primarily on the COHERENT experiment. He worked on the design of the COHERENT NaIvE-185 and ton-scale NaIvETe detectors, assisted in the resurrection of the Multiplicity and Recoil Spectrometer (MARS) at Sandia National Laboratory, analyzed data from COHERENT's NaIvE and Neutrino-Induced Neutron detectors, and contributed to multiple measurements of low energy nuclear recoil quenching factors at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory.
He is interested in the overlap of neutrino and nuclear physics, the prospect of using neutrino-nucleus interactions to study low-energy neutrino sources, and the development of new detection technologies to further our understanding of the universe.
