JUNO sensitivity on proton decay p→νK~+ searches

Abstract

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory(JUNO) is a large liquid scintillator detector designed to explore many topics in fundamental physics.In this study,the potential of searching for proton decay in the p→vK~+ mode with JUNO is investigated.The kaon and its decay particles feature a clear three-fold coincidence signature that results in a high efficiency for identification.Moreover,the excellent energy resolution of JUNO permits suppression of the sizable background caused by other delayed signals.Based on these advantages,the detection efficiency for the proton decay via p→vK~+ is 36.9% ± 4.9% with a background level of 0.2±0.05(syst)±0.2(stat) events after 10 years of data collection.The estimated sensitivity based on 200 kton-years of exposure is9.6 × 1033 years,which is competitive with the current best limits on the proton lifetime in this channel and complements the use of different detection technologies.