The PROSPECT Physics Program

The Precision Reactor Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment, PROSPECT, is designed to make a precise measurement of the antineutrino spectrum from a highly- enriched uraniumreactor and probe eV-scale sterile neutrinosby searching for neutrino oscillationsover meter-long distances. PROSPECTis conceived as a 2-phase experiment utilizing segmented $^6$Li-doped liquid scintillator detectors for both efficient detection of reactor antineutrinos through the inverse beta decayreaction and excellent background discrimination. PROSPECTPhase I consists of a movable 3-ton antineutrino detector at distances of 7 - 12 m from the reactor core. It will probe the best-fit point of the $\nu_e$ disappearance experiments at 4$\sigma$ in 1 year and the favored region of the sterile neutrino parameter spaceat $>$3$\sigma$ in 3 years. With a second antineutrino detector at 15 - 19 m from the reactor, Phase II of PROSPECTcan probe the entire allowed parameter spacebelow 10 eV$^{2}$ at 5$\sigma$ in 3 additional years. The measurement of the reactor antineutrino spectrum and the search for short-baseline oscillations with PROSPECTwill test the origin of the spectral deviations observed in recent $\theta_{13}$ experiments, search for sterile neutrinos, and conclusively address the hypothesis of sterile neutrinosas an explanation of the reactor anomaly.