The Borexino Experiment

Borexino is a solar neutrino detector taking data at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso and it is made by 300 tons of ultrapure liquid scintillator.

After about two decades of R&D, it is by far the most radiopure object in the World. This feature enabled the possibility to be the only experiment able to detect in real time all the neutrinos emitted by the pp-chain, that is the principal cycle of energy transformation in the Sun. Thanks to its unique characteristics, it was able to detect antineutrinos (geoneutrinos) produced inside the Earth and to investigate conservation laws fundamental for our description of Nature, like electrical charge conservation. The INFN and University of Genoa group has a leadership role in the project (co-spokesperson Prof. M. Pallavicini) and during the years was responsible for key aspects of the experiment like the DAQ electronics, the trigger, the liquid scintillator characterization, simulations and data analysis.

 

 

Personnel from INFN: Caminata, Cavanna, Davini, Testera, Zavatarelli

Personnel from Università di Genova: Di Noto, Pallavicini