Bragg reflection of cosmic neutrinos

The possible applications of Bragg reflection in future detection schemes for low energy (and non-zero mass) cosmic neutrinos based on their coherent interaction with bulk matter are discussed. The reflection coefficient for laminated targets is shown to consist of two dominant parts arising from the mean and oscillating components of the target density, and the dependence of each of these terms on both the neutrino and target properties is discussed in detail. The Bragg reflection term provides an enhanced reflectivity for a selected band of neutrino wavelenths, which could be used to increase the detection sensitivity for cosmic neutrinos accelerated into the galaxy by its gravitational potential. For clustered neutrinos, we show that Bragg reflection would not increase the integrated coherent force, but could have experimental advantages in modulating and identifying the neutrino signal. 5 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab. (author)