Reactor neutrino oscillation experiments: recent results and future prospects

Reactor neutrino experiments have played a key role in the history of neutrino physics. From the first observation of the free antineutrino by Reines and Cowan to the observation of (nu) over bar (e) disappearance at KamLAND, reactors have been an invaluable tool in the study of neutrinos and helped shape our understanding of neutrinos and neutrino oscillation. Recent data from KamLAND unambiguously reveal the signature of neutrino oscillation in the observed (nu) over bar (e) spectrum and determine the (nu) over bar (e) oscillation parameter Delta m(12)(2) to 2.8%. A suite of next-generation reactor experiments are now tinder construction to determine the yet unknown neutrino mixing angle theta(13) with a sensitivity of sin (2)2 theta(13) < 0.01. Stringent control of detector systematics and minimizing backgrounds will be key to the continued success of reactor neutrino oscillation experiments.