High significance measurement of reactor coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering on germanium by CONUS+
Authors: N. Ackermann (CONUS+ Collaboration), H. Bonet (CONUS+ Collaboration), C. Buck (CONUS+ Collaboration), J. Hakenmüller (CONUS+ Collaboration), G. Heusser (CONUS+ Collaboration), M. Lindner (CONUS+ Collaboration), W. Maneschg (CONUS+ Collaboration), M. Meier (CONUS+ Collaboration), S. Mertens (CONUS+ Collaboration), D. Piani (CONUS+ Collaboration), M. Rank (CONUS+ Collaboration), T. Rink (CONUS+ Collaboration), E. Sánchez García (CONUS+ Collaboration), Y. Shi (CONUS+ Collaboration), L. Schönfeld (CONUS+ Collaboration), I. Stalder (CONUS+ Collaboration), H. Strecker (CONUS+ Collaboration), J. Wendel (CONUS+ Collaboration), J. Woenckhaus (CONUS+ Collaboration)
Abstract
We report the most precise measurement to date of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$ν$NS) from reactor antineutrinos using the CONUS+ high-purity germanium detectors at the Leibstadt nuclear power plant. With an exposure of 1296 kg$\cdot$days reactor-on, a blind likelihood analysis yields $1555 \pm 152$ CE$ν$NS events, with a significance of 10.2 $σ$, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation of $1701 \pm 198$ events within 0.6 standard deviations. The result also determines the weak mixing angle at a momentum transfer of about 10 MeV, $\sin^2θ_W = 0.225 \pm 0.022$, consistent with the Standard Model prediction.
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Measurement of Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering from Reactor Antineutrinos.J. Colaresi, J. I. Collar, T. Hossbach et al. · 2022 · Physical Review Letters · cited 72 times · Not summarized yet
The earlier germanium reactor experiment searches for CEνNS and compares its measured signal with the Standard Model prediction.
Abstract
The 96.4 day exposure of a 3 kg ultralow noise germanium detector to the high flux of antineutrinos from a power nuclear reactor is described. A very strong preference (p<1.2×10^{-3}) for the presence of a coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) component in the data is found, when compared to a background-only model. No such effect is visible in 25 days of operation during reactor outages. The best-fit CEνNS signal is in good agreement with expectations based on a recent characterization of germanium response to sub-keV nuclear recoils. Deviations of order 60% from the standard model CEνNS prediction can be excluded using present data. Standing uncertainties in models of german…
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Measurement of coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering on germanium by COHERENTM. Adhikari, M. Ahn, D. Matamoros et al. · 2026 · cited 12 times · Not summarized yet
The COHERENT study measures CEνNS on germanium, but uses accelerator-produced neutrinos rather than reactor antineutrinos.
Abstract
The COHERENT collaboration reports the most precise measurement of the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering cross section to date. This measurement was performed with COHERENT's germanium detector array, Ge-Mini, at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A cumulative exposure of $4.68\times10^{22}$ protons on target yielded a total number of observed counts of $124^{+14}_{-12}$ and a flux-averaged cross section of $1.00 \pm 0.10 \mathrm{(statistical)} \pm 0.10 \mathrm{(systematic)}$ relative to the standard-model expectation of $5.9\times10^{-39} \mathrm{cm}^2$. The well-understood energy and timing distributions of the neutrino source allow for independent m…
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Sub-keV energy calibration of CONUS+ via 71Ge M-shell neutron activationE. Garc'ia, Y. Shi, N. Ackermann et al. · 2026 · cited 3 times · Not summarized yet
The CONUS+ calibration study measures the germanium energy scale, reducing a signal-prediction uncertainty relevant to CEνNS analysis.
Abstract
The CONUS+ experiment has recently reported the first detection of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) of reactor antineutrinos on germanium nuclei and is now entering a precision phase. The dominant uncertainty in the first measurement was the energy scale, which contributed 14% to the uncertainty of the prediction of the combined signal. We present a dedicated neutron activation campaign in which one of the new 2.4 kg CONUS+ germanium detectors was irradiated with a strong 241AmBe source, demonstrating that a contribution below 4% to the uncertainty of signal prediction is achievable. For the first time, the 71Ge M-shell X-ray line was clearly resolved at (158.7+-1.4) eVee…
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Analysis of CONUS+ run 2: Detector performance, background model and CE$\nu$NS measurementN. Ackermann, H. Bonet, C. Buck et al. · 2026 · cited 1 time · Not summarized yet
The run 2 study analyzes CONUS+ germanium detector performance, backgrounds, and reactor CEνNS sensitivity at Leibstadt.
Abstract
Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) provides a uniquely sensitive probe of neutrino properties, but its detection requires pushing energy thresholds to the sub-keV scale while controlling backgrounds. The CONUS+ experiment, located at the Leibstadt nuclear power plant, reported the first observation of CE$\nu$NS using reactor antineutrinos in 2025. Following a detector upgrade that replaced three of the original 1 kg high-purity germanium detectors with larger 2.42 kg diodes, this paper presents the analysis of the CONUS+ run 2 dataset, including the detector characterization, the background model, the signal prediction and expected sensitivity, and the extraction of the…
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Final CONUS Results on Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering at the Brokdorf Reactor.N. Ackermann, H. Bonet, A. Bonhomme et al. · 2024 · Physical Review Letters · cited 31 times · Not summarized yet
The final CONUS study constrains reactor CEνNS rates with germanium detectors, but reports an upper limit rather than a significant signal.
Abstract
The CONUS experiment studies coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering in four 1 kg germanium spectrometers. Low ionization energy thresholds of 210 eV were achieved. The detectors were operated inside an optimized shield at the Brokdorf nuclear power plant which provided a reactor antineutrino flux of up to 2.3×10^{13} cm^{-2} s^{-1}. In the final phase of data collection at this site, the constraints on the neutrino interaction rate were improved by an order of magnitude as compared to the previous CONUS analysis. The new limit of less than 0.34 signal events kg^{-1} d^{-1} is within a factor 2 of the rate predicted by the standard model. This constraint is discussed in the context of c…
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New constraints on coherent elastic neutrino–nucleus scattering by the νGeN experimentV. Belov, A. Bystryakov, M. Danilov et al. · 2025 · Chinese Physics C, High Energy Physics & Nuclear Physics · cited 21 times · Not summarized yet
The νGeN study searches for reactor CEνNS with a low-threshold germanium detector and finds no significant reactor-on/off count difference.
Abstract
The GeN experiment searches for coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE NS) at the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant. A 1.41 kg high-purity low-threshold germanium detector surrounded by active and passive shielding is deployed at the minimal distance of 11.1 m allowed by the lifting mechanism from the center of the reactor core, utilizing one of the highest antineutrino fluxes among competing experiments. The direct comparison of the count rates obtained during reactor-ON and reactor-OFF periods with the energy threshold of 0.29 keV shows no statistically significant difference. New upper limits on the number of CE NS events are evaluated on the basis of the residual ON OFF count rate sp…
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Phenomenological implications of the high-precision COHERENT germanium CEνNS dataM. A. Corona, M. Cadeddu, N. Cargioli et al. · 2026 · Nuclear Physics B · cited 7 times · Not summarized yet
The COHERENT analysis extracts the weak mixing angle and other parameters from germanium CEνNS data, using an accelerator neutrino source.
Abstract
This work presents the first comprehensive phenomenological analysis of the newly released Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CE$\nu$NS) data on germanium, measured by the COHERENT collaboration at the Spallation Neutron Source. Leveraging the unprecedented precision of this dataset, we provide state-of-the-art determinations of key Standard Model and nuclear physics parameters. Specifically, we extract updated constraints on the weak mixing angle, the neutrino charge radii, and we perform a detailed extraction of the neutron root-mean-square radius of germanium nuclei. We also investigate the impact of quenching factor uncertainties by exploring an extended Lindhard framework, an…
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New constraints on physics within and beyond the standard model from the latest CONUS datasetsN. Ackermann, H. Bonet, A. Bonhomme et al. · 2026 · cited 7 times · Not summarized yet
The CONUS analysis examines CEνNS and Standard Model constraints using datasets that include reactor measurements from Leibstadt.
Abstract
Its detections with pion-decay-at-rest, solar and recently with reactor antineutrinos by the CONUS collaboration render coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) an established tool for investigations within and beyond the Standard Model (SM). The CONUS experiment located at the nuclear power plants in Brokdorf (Germany) and Leibstadt (Switzerland) operates Germanium semiconductor detectors in a compact shield at close distance to the reactor core. An observation with $3.7 \sigma$ significance is reported at the Leibstadt site, showing good agreement with its SM prediction. Physics investigations performed with the last datasets collected at the Brokdorf reactor and with the f…
Prior work it builds on
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Prospect of the NUCLEUS experiment at Chooz for coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering and new physics searchesH. Abele, G. Angloher, B. Arnold et al. · 2026 · Physical Review D · cited 7 times · Not summarized yet
The NUCLEUS study projects reactor CEνNS sensitivity with cryogenic calorimeters at Chooz, targeting lower recoil energies and new-physics searches.
Abstract
The NUCLEUS experiment aims to measure coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) at unprecedentedly low nuclear recoil energies using gram-scale cryogenic calorimeters operated at the Chooz nuclear power plant in France. Access to recoil energies at the $\mathcal{O}(10~\mathrm{eV})$ scale enables CE$\nu$NS studies at extremely low momentum transfer and provides enhanced sensitivity to new physics. In this work, we present sensitivity projections for the upcoming NUCLEUS technical and physics runs, incorporating a data-driven treatment of the low-energy excess (LEE) observed during commissioning. We develop a likelihood framework that exploits reactor-power variation to disenta…
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Full background decomposition of the CONUS experimentH. Bonet, A. Bonhomme, C. Buck et al. · 2021 · The European Physical Journal C · cited 24 times · Not summarized yet
The CONUS background study characterizes detector backgrounds and shielding for low-energy germanium CEνNS searches.
Abstract
The CONUS experiment is searching for coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering of reactor anti-neutrinos with four low-energy threshold point-contact high-purity germanium spectrometers. Excellent background suppression within the region of interest below 1 keV (ionization energy) is absolutely necessary to enable signal detection. The collected data also make it possible to set limits on various models regarding beyond the standard model physics. These analyses benefit as well from the low background level of $$\sim $$ ∼ 10 d $$^{-1}$$ - 1 kg $$^{-1}$$ - 1 below 1 keV and at higher energies. The low background level is achieved by employing a compact shell-like shield that was adapted t…
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Exploring coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering using reactor electron antineutrinos in the NEON experimentJ. S. Choi, E. Jeon, J. Kim et al. · 2022 · The European Physical Journal C · cited 48 times · Not summarized yet
The NEON experiment searches for reactor-antineutrino CEνNS, using NaI(Tl) crystals rather than germanium detectors.
Abstract
Neutrino elastic scattering observation with NaI (NEON) is an experiment designed to detect neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering using reactor electron antineutrinos. NEON is based on an array of six NaI(Tl) crystals with a total mass of 13.3 kg, located at the tendon gallery that is 23.7 m away from a reactor core with a thermal power of 2.8 GW in the Hanbit nuclear power complex. The installation of the NEON detector was completed in December 2020, and since May 2021, the detector has acquired data at full reactor power. Based on the observed light yields of the NaI crystals of approximately 22, number of photoelectrons per unit keV electron-equivalent energy (keVee), and 6 counts/kg/keV/d…
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First constraints on the coherent elastic scattering of reactor antineutrinos off xenon nucleiD. Akimov, I. Alexandrov, V. Belov et al. · 2024 · cited 21 times · Not summarized yet
The RED-100 study searches for reactor-antineutrino CEνNS on xenon and reports no significant excess in reactor-on data.
Abstract
RED-100 is a two-phase emission detector with an active volume containing 126~kg of liquid xenon. The detector was exposed to the antineutrino flux of about $1.4 \cdot 10^{13}~$cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ at a distance of 19~m from the 3.1~GW Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) reactor core. The comparison of data from 331~kg$\cdot$days with the reactor on and 106~kg$\cdot$days with the reactor off shows no statistically significant excess and allows to put constraints on coherent elastic interactions of antineutrinos with xenon nuclei.
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Direct measurement of the ionization quenching factor of nuclear recoils in germanium in the keV energy rangeA. Bonhomme, H. Bonet, C. Buck et al. · 2022 · The European Physical Journal C · cited 59 times · Not summarized yet
The quenching-factor study directly measures germanium nuclear-recoil ionization response, which informs CEνNS signal predictions in germanium detectors.
Abstract
This article reports the measurement of the ionization quenching factor in germanium for nuclear recoil energies in the keV range. Precise knowledge of this factor in this energy range is highly relevant for coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering and low mass dark matter searches with germanium-based detectors. Nuclear recoils were produced in a thin high-purity germanium target with a very low energy threshold via irradiation using monoenergetic neutron beams. The energy dependence of the ionization quenching factor was directly measured via kinematically constrained coincidences with surrounding liquid scintillator based neutron detectors. The systematic uncertainties of the measurem…
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