M. C. McFarlane

Assembly and Installation of the Daya Bay Antineutrino Detectors

The Daya Bay reactor antineutrino experiment is designed to make a precision measurement of the neutrino mixing angle θ_(13), and recently made the definitive discovery of its non-zero value. It utilizes a set of eight, functionally identical antineutrino detectors to measure the reactor flux and spectrum at baselines of ~ 300–2000 m from the Daya Bay and Ling Ao Nuclear Power Plants. The Daya Bay antineutrino detectors were built in an above-ground facility and deployed side-by-side at three underground experimental sites near and far from the nuclear reactors. This configuration allows the experiment to make a precision measurement of reactor antineutrino disappearance over km-long baselines and reduces relative systematic uncertainties between detectors and nuclear reactors. This paper describes the assembly and installation of the Daya Bay antineutrino detectors.

Low-Background Monitoring Cameras for the Daya Bay Antineutrino Detectors

The Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment is designed to measure the neutrino mixing angle θ13 to world-leading precision. The experiment deploys identical antineutrino detectors at distances of 400-1900 m from six reactors in Daya Bay, China. Each detector incorporates two general-purpose monitoring cameras to ensure their safe construction, transportation and operation. The cameras must meet usage goals while satisfying stringent constraints on radioactivity, materials compatibility, interference and reliability. This article describes the system design, integration, operation and performance.