Presentation Type
Poster
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Monica Gray, Physics and Engineering Science
Major
Applied Physics
Second Major
Engineering Science
Presentation Abstract
Nuclear submarines may be able to avoid sonar but not neutrino detection. The first conducted experiment uses the detection of neutrinos from a decaying isotope of Manganese-54 using a NaI detector which uses scintillation to produce a flash of light when a neutrino is detected inside the detector at varying temperatures. The second experiment detects neutrinos coming from a large nuclear reactor which is similar to a nuclear missile on a submarine. Nuclear weapons release an abundance of neutrinos from the decay of the radioactive material inside them. Over the course of approximately one month, as the temperature measured around the detectors increased to over 22 degrees Celsius the detected neutrinos count dropped below the standard 10 to the seventh power. These experiments show that the release of these particles in a sub nautical area below 20 degrees Celsius are a better means of detection when looking for nuclear submarines.
Location
Virtual Poster Session 2
Start Date
22-4-2021 4:30 PM
End Date
22-4-2021 6:30 PM
Recommended Citation
Stevens, Zachary, "How Sonar May Not Be the Only Means for Detecting Nuclear Submarines" (2021). Undergraduate Research Competition. 58.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2021/fullconference/58
How Sonar May Not Be the Only Means for Detecting Nuclear Submarines
Virtual Poster Session 2
Nuclear submarines may be able to avoid sonar but not neutrino detection. The first conducted experiment uses the detection of neutrinos from a decaying isotope of Manganese-54 using a NaI detector which uses scintillation to produce a flash of light when a neutrino is detected inside the detector at varying temperatures. The second experiment detects neutrinos coming from a large nuclear reactor which is similar to a nuclear missile on a submarine. Nuclear weapons release an abundance of neutrinos from the decay of the radioactive material inside them. Over the course of approximately one month, as the temperature measured around the detectors increased to over 22 degrees Celsius the detected neutrinos count dropped below the standard 10 to the seventh power. These experiments show that the release of these particles in a sub nautical area below 20 degrees Celsius are a better means of detection when looking for nuclear submarines.