A CsI(Tl) scintillating crystal detector for the studies of low-energy neutrino interactions

Scintillating crystal detector may offer some potential advantages in the low-energy, low-background experiments. A 500 kg CsI(TI) detector to be placed near the core of Kuo-sheng Nuclear Power Station in Taiwan is being constructed for the studies of electron-neutrino scatterings and other keV-MeV range neutrino interactions. The motivations of this detector approach, the physics to be addressed, the basic experimental design, and the characteristic performance of prototype modules are described. The expected background channels and their experimental handles are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.