Neutrino Geosciences

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

Funds are requested to support US scientists to participate at the Neutrino Geoscience 2013 meeting (http://www.awa.tohoku.ac.jp/geoscience2013/), 21-23 March, in Takayama, Japan. This meeting brings together geology and particle physics communities with shared interests in geoneutrino detection and data interpretation. Geoneutrinos are electron antineutrinos that come from the decay of Th and U from inside the Earth. This meeting is designed to initiate and foster an understanding of the shared science interests of these communities. The meeting will last three days (21-23 March) and discuss the latest results from the experiments in KamLAND, Japan and Borexino, Italy, as well as review future experiments in the field. The KamLAND and Borexino physics teams have stated that they are prepared to produce a publication of their latest results (comparable to the Phys Rev B 2010 and Nature Geoscience 2011 papers). A subcommittee will select the US geo-scientists to bring to the meeting. Selection criteria are based on scientific breath and diversity including the fields of Seismology, Geodynamics, Mineral Physics, Geochemistry, Petrology and Geomagnetism. Preference will be given to new, first-time participants; and the committee specifically seeks to have at least on grad student or post-doc, as well as pre-tenured faculty and or lab scientists, and senior scientists. It is expected to support at this meeting a wide range of geoscientists including senior, mid-career and early career scientists and PhD students. Nearly all geoscientists have no available funding for attending such a meeting, and the field is newly emergent in geosciences.