Sensitivity of an antineutrino monitor for remote nuclear reactor discovery

Abstract

Antineutrinos from a nuclear reactor comprise an unshieldable signal which carries information about the core. A gadolinium-doped, water-based Cherenkov detector could detect reactor antineutrinos for mid- to far-field remote reactor monitoring for non-proliferation applications. Two novel and independent reconstruction and analysis pathways have been developed and applied to a number of representative reactor signals to evaluate the sensitivity of a kiloton-scale, gadolinium-doped Cherenkov detector as a remote monitor. The sensitivity of four detector configurations to nine reactor signal combinations was evaluated for a detector situated in Boulby Mine, close to the Boulby Underground Laboratory in the UK. It was found that a 22~m detector with a gadolinium-doped, water-based liquid scintillator fill is sensitive to a $\rm \sim 3~GW_{th}$ reactor at a standoff of $\rm \sim150~km$ within two years in the current reactor landscape. A larger detector would be required to achieve a more timely detection or to monitor smaller or more distant reactors.