Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2011
Volume 56, Number 4
Saturday–Tuesday, April 30–May 3 2011; Anaheim, California
Session Q8: Proposed Neutrino Experiments |
Hide Abstracts |
Sponsoring Units: DPF Chair: Joe Formaggio, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Room: Grand F |
Monday, May 2, 2011 10:45AM - 10:57AM |
Q8.00001: Development of light collectors for the Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) Jelena Maricic Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment will search for the appearance signal of electron neutrinos and antineutrinos in the muon neutrino and muon antineutrino beam, respectively, sent from Fermilab 1300 km away. Positive appearance signal will lead to a possible measurement of CP-violation phase in the lepton sector, measurement of the neutrino mass hierarchy and angle $\theta_{13}$. Two detector options are currently in the R\&D phase: large water Cherenkov detector and liquid Argonne detector. Here we report on the development of light collectors to be placed around photomultiplier tube front for increased light collection. We also study their potential benefits to the water Cherenkov detector performance and sensitivity. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, May 2, 2011 10:57AM - 11:09AM |
Q8.00002: Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment Sensitivity Studies Anne Norrick The Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) will address the neutrino mass hierarchy, leptonic CP violation, and the value of the mixing angle Theta13 with unprecedented sensitivity. Protons from the Fermilab Main Injector will impinge on a target to create intense fluxes of charged pions and other mesons. The mesons will be guided down a 250m length of pipe where they will decay creating a muon neutrino beam. The beam will pass through a near detector and travel on to massive detectors located in the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab (DUSEL) in Western South Dakota. The near detector at Fermilab will measure the absolute flux of neutrinos before oscillation, and measure signal and background processes in the poorly understood GeV neutrino energy range. To quantify the potential sensitivity of this experiment and the specific needs of the near detector, simulation work has been undertaken. In particular, results of studies using a more sophisticated understanding of various background processes will be presented. Additionally, hardware work for a possible near detector design will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, May 2, 2011 11:09AM - 11:21AM |
Q8.00003: Measuring High Energy Gamma Rays at the Homestake Mine for DUSEL Experiments Chao Zhang, Dongming Mei, Keenan Thomas, Fred Gray Measuring external sources of background is very important to the planned DUSEL experiments. High energy gamma rays induced by muons in rock can range from keV to GeV. Characterizing the high energy gamma rays induced by muons at the Homestake Mine is implemented at different levels with multiple NaI detectors. With over one year data collection, we are able to show a spectrum of the high energy gamma rays induced by muons. A Monte Carlo simulation is also carried out to understand the muon ionization in the NaI detectors and the detection efficiency of high energy gamma-rays. We report the experimental results with the comparison from Monte Carlo simulations. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, May 2, 2011 11:21AM - 11:33AM |
Q8.00004: The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR: A search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of germanium-76 Alexis Schubert Observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) could determine whether the neutrino is a Majorana particle and may provide information on neutrino mass. The \textsc{Majorana} Collaboration~\footnote{V.E. Guiseppe (2010) arXiv:1101.0119} will search for $0\nu\beta\beta$ of $^{76}$Ge in an array of germanium detectors enriched to 86\% in $^{76}$Ge. Germanium detectors are a well-understood technology and have the benefits of excellent energy resolution, a high Q-value, and the ability to act as source and detector. The p-type point contact germanium detectors chosen by the \textsc{Majorana} Collaboration provide low noise, low energy threshold, and some ability to distinguish between the signal and background events. \textsc{Majorana} is constructing the \textsc{Demonstrator}, which will be used to conduct research and development toward a tonne-scale Ge experiment. The \textsc{Demonstrator} will be installed deep underground and will contain 40 kg of Ge deployed in an ultra-low-background shielded environment. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, May 2, 2011 11:33AM - 11:45AM |
Q8.00005: DAEdALUS: A New Search for CP Violation in the Neutrino Sector Rachel Carr The DAEdALUS experiment offers a novel approach to measuring CP violation in the neutrino sector. The design uses multiple cyclotrons to produce intense beams of neutrinos from the decay-at-rest of pions and muons. Short-baseline muon- to electron-antineutrino oscillations are observed via inverse beta decay in an ultra-large water Cerenkov detector at DUSEL. The experiment's high-statistics, low-background output yields a CP violation sensitivity competitive with that of LBNE. Together, the complementary designs of DAEdALUS and LBNE provide the highest sensitivity of any presently proposed CP violation search. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, May 2, 2011 11:45AM - 11:57AM |
Q8.00006: Preliminary study on a Multi Megawatt Cyclotron Complex to Search for CP Violation in the Neutrino Sector Alessandra Calanna, Luciano Calabretta, Janet Conrad, Mario Maggiore, Leandro Piazza, Danilo Rifuggiato The DAEDALUS experiment offers a novel approach to measuring CP violation in the neutrino sector. The design uses a Multi Megawatt Cyclotron (MMC) complex to produce intense beams of neutrinos from the decay-at-rest of pions and muons. Short-baseline muon- to electron-antineutrino oscillations is observed via inverse beta decay in an ultra-large water Cerenkov detector at DUSEL. The MMC complex needs to be able to accelerate H2+ up to 800 MeV/amu. It consists of an injector cyclotron able to deliver a H2+ beam up to 50 MeV/amu and of a cyclotron booster ring made of 8 magnetic sectors and 8 RF cavities. The layout of the magnetic sectors was designed using the 3-D code OPERA3D. Magnetic fields and forces on superconducting coils were evaluated and optimized with the TOSCA module. Preliminary studies on beam dynamics, losses due to interaction with residual gases, considerations on injection and extraction are also presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, May 2, 2011 11:57AM - 12:09PM |
Q8.00007: Detector String Design and Prototype Tests for the M{\sc ajorana} Science Program Victor Gehman The M{\sc ajorana} experiment is a next-generation 0$\nu\beta\beta$ search that will probe the effective Majorana neutrino mass parameter, $\left < \mbox{m}_{\beta\beta} \right >$ with excellent sensitivity. At its D{\sc emonstrator} stage (20--30 kg of enriched detectors out of a total of 40 kg at the Sanford Laboratory), M{\sc ajorana} will be sensitive to $\left < \mbox{m}_{\beta\beta} \right >$ at the level of a few hundred meV. The planned ton-scale experiment would reach well down into the inverted hierarchy. Part of the strategy for attaining these physics goals is to deploy tens of detectors in close-packed ``string mounts'' into the same cryostat. The design considerations for these strings in terms of minimizing: cooling time, detector-to-detector cross talk, microphonic pickup and other sources of electronic noise, while maintaining close detector packing and minimal support structure mass represent an interesting and important component of the M{\sc ajorana} R\&D program. Here, we will present the status of current M{\sc ajorana} detector string design activities, with special attention paid to electrical and thermal tests. We will also present a brief outline of future tests related to this component of the M{\sc ajorana} experimental program. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the U.S. Department of Energy through the LANL/LDRD Program for this work. [Preview Abstract] |
Follow Us |
Engage
Become an APS Member |
My APS
Renew Membership |
Information for |
About APSThe American Physical Society (APS) is a non-profit membership organization working to advance the knowledge of physics. |
© 2024 American Physical Society
| All rights reserved | Terms of Use
| Contact Us
Headquarters
1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844
(301) 209-3200
Editorial Office
100 Motor Pkwy, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788
(631) 591-4000
Office of Public Affairs
529 14th St NW, Suite 1050, Washington, D.C. 20045-2001
(202) 662-8700