郭硕鸿讲座（第七十一期）（2024年12月9日15:00）：Neutrino Detection Beyond Transparency

主持人：王为 教授

报告简介：For several decades, radiation detection has been vital to humanity, forming the experimental foundation of much of our understanding of the Universe. Most light-based detection technologies, such as scintillation and Cherenkov radiation, rely on a fundamental principle: the medium’s impeccable transparency, enabling detection with only a handful of photons. This requirement becomes especially critical in large instrumented volumes, such as those used in neutrino physics. While these technologies have achieved significant success, including Nobel Prize-winning discoveries, they are constrained by notable limitations, even in their mature form. In particular, event-wise particle identification is rare and often impractical. As a result, experiments rely on cumbersome and costly shielding, such as deep underground laboratories, to mitigate overwhelming cosmic-ray backgrounds.

In this seminar, I will introduce the innovative LiquidO technology, which uniquely utilises light detection in “opaque” media, which has also pioneered the notion of opaque scintillation. LiquidO enables event-wise imaging of subatomic particles, allowing event topology and fast timing to facilitate particle identification even at energies as low as a fraction of one MeV. I will conclude with highlights from the first LiquidO-based experiments, including the AntiMatterOTech (EU-EIC & UKRI) and CLOUD projects, as well as the prospects for the SuperChooz initiative.

报告人简介：Prof. Anatael Cabrera is a particle physicist with over two decades of expertise in neutrino science. He earned his DPhil from the University of Oxford (2001–2005) while working on the MINOS experiment and subsequently held research roles at the Collège de France and APC Laboratory, contributing to the Double Chooz experiment. Since 2007, he has been a CNRS scientist, holding positions at leading French laboratories, including APC, LAL, and IJCLab.

Prof. Cabrera has made significant contributions to particle physics through his leadership and innovation. He co-founded the LiquidO consortium in 2016, spearheading its development as co-spokesperson. His work on the Double Chooz experiment (2005–2023) included roles as detector coordinator, physics coordinator, and spokesperson, advancing the understanding of neutrino oscillations. He also plays a pivotal role in the JUNO experiment, focusing on dual-calorimetry detector design and leading the small-PMT system from 2015 to 2020.

Beyond experiments, Prof. Cabrera leads innovative projects like CLOUD/AntiMatter OTech, an international collaboration, and LPET OTech, a French national consortium. His SuperChooz exploration project, initiated in 2018, is forging global partnerships to expand neutrino research. His work exemplifies excellence in both scientific discovery and collaborative leadership in particle physics.