Borexino: A real time liquid scintillator detector for low energy solar neutrino study

Abstract

Borexino is a large unsegmented calorimeter featuring 300 tons of liquid scintillator, contained in a 8.5 meter nylon vessel, viewed by 2200 PMTs. The main goal of Borexino is the study, in real time, of low energy solar neutrinos, and in particular, the monoenergetic neutrinos coming from $^7Be$, which is one of the missing links on the solar neutrino problem. The achievement of high radiopurity level, in the order of $10^{-16} g/g$ of U/Th equivalent, necessary to the detection of the low energy component of the solar neutrino flux, was proved in the Borexino prototype: the Counting Test Facility. The detector is located underground in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in the center of Italy at 3500 meter water equivalent depth. In this paper the science and technology of Borexino are reviewed and its main capabilities are presented.