Summary
The QuSeN program aims to develop detectors of neutrinos emitted from nuclear reactors and nuclear materials, with greatly increased sensitivity compared to currently used methods. Neutrinos, subatomic particles with a mass near zero, are notoriously difficult to detect.
Current methods for neutrino detection are unable to detect most neutrinos from nuclear activities, and the multi-ton weight of existing neutrino detectors further constrains widescale use.
QuSeN intends to push neutrino detection to the fundamental limits of sensitivity and energy by developing a new class of neutrino detectors that are much lighter, enabling mobility and deployment of detector arrays for distributed sensing. Such neutrino detectors would enable standoff detection and monitoring of nuclear reactors and nuclear materials at greater distances and with faster detection than is possible with detectors in use today.