Sensitivity study of a sapphire detector using coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering processes

Abstract

The Indian Coherent Neutrino-nucleus Scattering Experiment (ICNSE) has been proposed at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in India to measure the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering process using electron antineutrinos produced from reactors. Phenomenological studies are performed to find out the sensitivity of a sapphire detector for various fundamental physics parameters at an exposure of one year. Reactors of different core compositions, sizes, and thermal powers have been considered as sources of electron antineutrinos. The potential of the ICNSE to measure the weak mixing angle at a low energy regime has been extracted. Furthermore, the detector’s capability has been investigated for examining the electromagnetic properties of neutrinos, including their magnetic moment. Additionally, an exploration has been conducted on the detector’s sensitivity in restricting new interactions between neutrinos and electrons or nuclei, thereby constraining the parameter space related to light mediators. It is found that the ICNSE detector can put a stronger constraints on the scalar and vector mediators masses. Published by the American Physical Society 2025