Neutrino Detection: Uncovering Deuterium and Oxygen Reactions

[Saterdag]

Hi, I have read some texts on the Internet on neutrino detection but I have some things I hope you can clarify..

When using heavy water (D20) for detection, the neutrino will interact with the deuterium nucleus producing a proton and an electron from the neutron. Now I have read that a minimum energy is required for this to happen, however it did not say what determined this minimum energy. My thought where that the binding energy of deuterium had something to do with it. Another requirement might be that the energy of the released electron must by high enough to produce Cherenkov light. Can anyone please tell me where I'm right and/or where I'm wrong?

A second question is why they only talk about the reactions with the neutrons in D. Shouldn't there be reactions with the neutrons in the O-nucleus as well? Is this very difficult to detect or why is this reaction not used?

 

[mfb]

Correct.
Energy conservation is sufficient to calculate the required energy.

Enough energy for Cherenkov light is not necessary for the reaction, but necessary for the detection if the sensor is looking for that.

A second question is why they only talk about the reactions with the neutrons in D. Shouldn't there be reactions with the neutrons in the O-nucleus as well? Is this very difficult to detect or why is this reaction not used?

That doesn't have a nice signature to look for.