CEvNS

CEvNS stands for Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering. It is a rare type of interaction between neutrinos and atomic nuclei. In this process, a neutrino interacts with an entire nucleus, causing it to recoil, while the neutrino itself remains largely unchanged and is scattered elastically. Unlike other neutrino interaction types that involve scattering off individual protons or neutrons, CEvNS scatters off the collective nuclear target.

This interaction was first predicted by Wolfgang Pauli in 1930 as a way to explain missing energy in beta decay, though it was not directly observed until 2017 by the COHERENT experiment. The cross-section for CEvNS is predicted to be significantly larger than for other neutrino interactions at low energies, making it a promising avenue for neutrino detection and study.

CEvNS is sensitive to the weak mixing angle, a fundamental parameter in the Standard Model of particle physics. Measuring CEvNS with high precision could provide crucial tests of the Standard Model and potentially reveal new physics beyond it. Applications for CEvNS detection include monitoring nuclear reactors for nuclear non-proliferation and exploring the properties of neutrinos from astrophysical sources like supernovae. The observation of CEvNS opens a new window into neutrino physics and its connection to nuclear and particle physics.