Measurement of Neutrino-Electron Scattering Cross-Section with a CsI(Tl) Scintillating Crystal Array at the Kuo-Sheng Nuclear Power Reactor

The ${\bar{\nu }}_e-e^{-}$ elastic scattering cross-section was measured with a CsI(Tl) scintillating crystal array having a total mass of 187kg. The detector was exposed to an average reactor ${\bar{\nu }}_e$ flux of $6.4\times {10}^{12}\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^{-2}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ at the Kuo-Sheng Nuclear Power Station. The experimental design, conceptual merits, detector hardware, data analysis and background understanding of the experiment are presented. Using 29882/7369 kg-days of Reactor ON/OFF data, the Standard Model(SM) electroweak interaction was probed at the squared 4-momentum transfer range of $\rm{Q^2 \sim 3 \times 10^{-6} ~ GeV^2}$. The ratio of experimental to SM cross-sections of $\xi =[1.08\pm 0.21(stat)\pm 0.16(sys)]$ was measured. Constraints on the electroweak parameters $(g_V,g_A)$ were placed, corresponding to a weak mixing angle measurement of $ \s2tw = 0.251 \pm 0.031({\it stat}) \pm 0.024({\it sys}) $\mathrm{.}DestructiveinterferenceintheSM$\nuebar -$e process was verified. Bounds on anomalous neutrino electromagnetic properties were placed: neutrino magnetic moment at ${\mu }_{\text{nuebar}}<2.2\times {10}^{-10}{\mu }_{\mathrm{B}}$ and the neutrino charge radius at $-2.1 \times 10^{-32} ~{\rm cm^{2}} < \nuchrad < 3.3 \times 10^{-32} ~{\rm cm^{2}}$, both at 90% confidence level.