Solar flare detection method using Rn-222 radioactive source

Walg Jonathan; Rodnianski Anatoly; Orion Itzhak

doi:10.30574/gscarr.2020.5.2.0087

Authors

Walg Jonathan Nuclear Engineering, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Rodnianski Anatoly Nuclear Engineering, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Orion Itzhak Nuclear Engineering, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30574/gscarr.2020.5.2.0087

Keywords:

gamma, neutrino, decay-rate, radiation, solar-activity

Abstract

Solar neutrino detection is known to be a very challenging task, due to the minuscule absorption cross-section and mass of the neutrino. One research showed that relative large solar-flares affected the decay-rates of Mn-54 in December 2006. Since most the radiation emitted during a solar flare are blocked before reaching the earth surface, it should be assumed that such decay-rate changes could be due to neutrino flux increase from the sun, in which only neutrinos can penetrate the radionuclide.

This study employs the Rn-222 radioactive source for the task of solar flare detection, based on the prediction that it will provide a stable gamma ray counting rate. In order to ascertain counting stability, three counting systems were constructed to track the count-rate changes.

The Rn-222 count-rate measurements showed several radiation counting dips, indicating that the radioactive nuclide can be affected by order of magnitude neutrino flux change from the sun. We conclude that using the cooled Radon source obtained the clearest responses, and therefore this is the preferable system for detecting neutrino emissions from a controlled source.

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