The Fermilab neutrino beam program

This talk presents an overview of the Fermilab Neutrino Beam Program. Results from completed experiments as well as the status and outlook for current experiments is given. Emphasis is given to current activities towards planning for a future program

Extension of Experiment 756 into the Next Running Period

Prior to E756, no one had ever produced a polarized {Omega}{sup -} beam. Thus the authors first proposed to try the 'standard method'. If the {Omega}{sup -}s were polarized, the experiment was designed to yield an error of less than 0.1 n.m. for the magnetic moment. They proposed to carry out a polarization analysis while data was being taken to determine the course of the experiment. If protons did not produce polarized {Omega}{sup -}s, they had devised alternative methods to produce the desired polarized sample. During the 1987-88 fixed target run, the experiment proceeded as outlined in the proposal. Using a minimal statistically significant sample, they found the polarization of {Omega}{sup -}'s produced directly by protons to be insufficient to accomplish the measurement. This result is in itself a major contribution to the understanding of the phenomena of inclusive hyperon polarization. In addition to the polarization results, this period of the experiment will yield the best measurement of the cascade minus magnetic moment (better than 1%), the best measurement of the weak decay parameter, {alpha}, for both the {Omega}{sup -} and the {Xi}{sup -}, and the best measurement of the lifetime of both the {Omega}{sup -} and the {Xi}{sup -}. From their previous experiments, they knew that a neutral beam produced at an angle was rich in polarized {Lambda}'s and {Xi}{sup 0}'s. Therefore they believed they could produce polarized {Omega}{sup -} via spin transfer from a targeted polarized neutral hyperon beam. They had the flexibility of installing another targeting area and a neutral channel just upstream of their charged hyperon channel. Their neutral beam was the first targeted polarized beam at the Tevatron and one of the few polarized high energy beams anywhere in the world. For the remainder of the fixed target run, about three calendar months, they collected about 20,000 {Omega}{sup -}'s, enough to discover that the {Omega}{sup -}'s were polarized and make the first statistically significant measurement of {mu}{sub {Omega}{sup -}} ({+-}0.2 n.m.). In adidition, measurement sof the {Omega}{sup -} and {Xi}{sup -} spin transfer from the polarized neutral hyperon beam will provide new information for particle production models. The stage is now set to accomplish the primary goal of the E756 proposal, a precise measurement of {mu}{sup {Omega}{sup -}}

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Report on the Depth Requirements for a Massive Detector at Homestake

This report provides the technical justification for locating a large detector underground in a US based Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. A large detector with a fiducial mass greater than 100 kTon will most likely be a multipurpose facility. The main physics justification for such a device is detection of accelerator generated neutrinos, nucleon decay, and natural sources of neutrinos such as solar, atmospheric and supernova neutrinos. The requirement on the depth of this detector will be guided by the rate of signals from these sources and the rate of backgrounds from cosmic rays over a very wide range of energies (from solar neutrino energies of 5 MeV to high energies in the range of hundreds of GeV). For the present report, we have examined the depth requirement for a large water Cherenkov detector and a liquid argon time projection chamber. There has been extensive previous experience with underground water Cherenkov detectors such as IMB, Kamioka, and most recently, Super-Kamiokande which has a fiducial mass of 22 kTon and a total mass of 50 kTon at a depth of 2700 meters-water-equivalent in a mountain. Projections for signal and background capability for a larger and deeper(or shallower) detectors of this type can be scaled from these previous detectors. The liquid argon time projection chamber has the advantage of being a very fine-grained tracking detector, which should provide enhanced capability for background rejection. We have based background rejection on reasonable estimates of track and energy resolution, and in some cases scaled background rates from measurements in water. In the current work we have taken the approach that the depth should be sufficient to suppress the cosmogenic background below predicted signal rates for either of the above two technologies. Nevertheless, it is also clear that the underground facility that we are examining must have a long life and will most likely be used either for future novel uses of the currently planned detectors or new technologies. Therefore the depth requirement also needs to be made on the basis of sound judgment regarding possible future use. In particular, the depth should be sufficient for any possible future use of these cavities or the level which will be developed for these large structures.Along with these physics justifications there are practical issues regarding the existing infrastructure at Homestake and also the stress characteristics of the Homestake rock formations. In this report we will examine the various depth choices at Homestake from the point of view of the particle and nuclear physics signatures of interest. We also have sufficient information about the existing infrastructure and the rock characteristics to narrow the choice of levels for the development of large cavities with long lifetimes. We make general remarks on desirable ground conditions for such large cavities and then make recommendations on how to start examining these levels to make a final choice. In the appendix we have outlined the initial requirements for the detectors. These requirements will undergo refinement during the course of the design. Finally, we strongly recommend that the geotechnical studies be commenced at the 4850 ft level, which we find to be the most suitable, in a timely manner

Extension of Experiment 756 into the Next Running Period

Prior to E756, no one had ever produced a polarized {Omega}{sup -} beam. Thus the authors first proposed to try the 'standard method'. If the {Omega}{sup -}s were polarized, the experiment was designed to yield an error of less than 0.1 n.m. for the magnetic moment. They proposed to carry out a polarization analysis while data was being taken to determine the course of the experiment. If protons did not produce polarized {Omega}{sup -}s, they had devised alternative methods to produce the desired polarized sample. During the 1987-88 fixed target run, the experiment proceeded as outlined in the proposal. Using a minimal statistically significant sample, they found the polarization of {Omega}{sup -}'s produced directly by protons to be insufficient to accomplish the measurement. This result is in itself a major contribution to the understanding of the phenomena of inclusive hyperon polarization. In addition to the polarization results, this period of the experiment will yield the best measurement of the cascade minus magnetic moment (better than 1%), the best measurement of the weak decay parameter, {alpha}, for both the {Omega}{sup -} and the {Xi}{sup -}, and the best measurement of the lifetime of both the {Omega}{sup -} and the {Xi}{sup -}. From their previous experiments, they knew that a neutral beam produced at an angle was rich in polarized {Lambda}'s and {Xi}{sup 0}'s. Therefore they believed they could produce polarized {Omega}{sup -} via spin transfer from a targeted polarized neutral hyperon beam. They had the flexibility of installing another targeting area and a neutral channel just upstream of their charged hyperon channel. Their neutral beam was the first targeted polarized beam at the Tevatron and one of the few polarized high energy beams anywhere in the world. For the remainder of the fixed target run, about three calendar months, they collected about 20,000 {Omega}{sup -}'s, enough to discover that the {Omega}{sup -}'s were polarized and make the first statistically significant measurement of {mu}{sub {Omega}{sup -}} ({+-}0.2 n.m.). In adidition, measurement sof the {Omega}{sup -} and {Xi}{sup -} spin transfer from the polarized neutral hyperon beam will provide new information for particle production models. The stage is now set to accomplish the primary goal of the E756 proposal, a precise measurement of {mu}{sup {Omega}{sup -}}

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), Far Detector Technical Design Report, Volume I Introduction to DUNE

International audienceThe preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay—these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector technical design report (TDR) describes the DUNE physics program and the technical designs of the single- and dual-phase DUNE liquid argon TPC far detector modules. This TDR is intended to justify the technical choices for the far detector that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. Volume I contains an executive summary that introduces the DUNE science program, the far detector and the strategy for its modular designs, and the organization and management of the Project. The remainder of Volume I provides more detail on the science program that drives the choice of detector technologies and on the technologies themselves. It also introduces the designs for the DUNE near detector and the DUNE computing model, for which DUNE is planning design reports. Volume II of this TDR describes DUNE's physics program in detail. Volume III describes the technical coordination required for the far detector design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure. Volume IV describes the single-phase far detector technology. A planned Volume V will describe the dual-phase technology

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), Far Detector Technical Design Report, Volume II: DUNE Physics

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay -- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. DUNE is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector technical design report (TDR) describes the DUNE physics program and the technical designs of the single- and dual-phase DUNE liquid argon TPC far detector modules. Volume II of this TDR, DUNE Physics, describes the array of identified scientific opportunities and key goals. Crucially, we also report our best current understanding of the capability of DUNE to realize these goals, along with the detailed arguments and investigations on which this understanding is based. This TDR volume documents the scientific basis underlying the conception and design of the LBNF/DUNE experimental configurations. As a result, the description of DUNE's experimental capabilities constitutes the bulk of the document. Key linkages between requirements for successful execution of the physics program and primary specifications of the experimental configurations are drawn and summarized. This document also serves a wider purpose as a statement on the scientific potential of DUNE as a central component within a global program of frontier theoretical and experimental particle physics research. Thus, the presentation also aims to serve as a resource for the particle physics community at large