Evidence for Neutrino Oscillation and Massive Neutrinos: The Resolution of the Solar Neutrino Problem at SNO and KamLAND – Karsten Heeger, Michelson Postdoctoral Prize Lecture

Date: Mon. April 26th, 2004, 12:30 pm-1:30 pm
Location: Rockefeller 221

Unambiguous evidence for novel neutrino properties has recently been obtained from observations of solar and reactor neutrinos. Combined with previous solar neutrino experiments the results from SNO and KamLAND are evidence for neutrino oscillation. The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) studies neutrinos from the 8B decay in the Sun to search for neutrino flavor change. SNO’s unique measurement of all neutrino flavors has provided model- independent evidence for the flavor transformation of solar neutrinos. Its results imply that neutrinos have mass. This observation explains the long-standing Solar Neutrino Problem, the deficit of the observed electron solar neutrino flux compared to solar model predictions. The KamLAND experiment measures the flux of antineutrinos from nuclear power reactors in central Japan. It observes a deficit of neutrinos at an average distance of 180 km from the reactors. In the 50-year long history of reactor neutrino experiments KamLAND has demonstrated for the first time reactor antineutrino disappearance at long baselines. Results from SNO and KamLAND will be discussed along with the observations of other neutrino oscillation experiments.