Recoilless resonant neutrino capture and basics of neutrino oscillations

It is shown that the experiment on recoilless resonant emission and absorption of $\bar \nu_{e}$, proposed recently by Raghavan, could have an important impact on our understanding of the physics of neutrino oscillations.Comment: Additional information in the last chapte

Status and perspectives of short baseline studies

The study of flavor changing neutrinos is a very active field of research. I will discuss the status of ongoing and near term experiments investigating neutrino properties at short distances from the source. In the next few years, the Double Chooz, RENO and Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiments will start looking for signatures of a non-zero value of the mixing angle $\theta_{13}$ with much improved sensitivities. The MiniBooNE experiment is investigating the LSND anomaly by looking at both the $\nu_{\mu} \to \nu_{e}$ and $\bar{\nu}_{\mu} \to \bar{\nu}_{e}$ appearance channels. Recent results on cross section measurements will be discussed briefly.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP 2009), Rome, Italy, 1-5 July 200

Underground Neutrino Detectors for Particle and Astroparticle Science: the Giant Liquid Argon Charge Imaging ExpeRiment (GLACIER)

The current focus of the CERN program is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), however, CERN is engaged in long baseline neutrino physics with the CNGS project and supports T2K as recognized CERN RE13, and for good reasons: a number of observed phenomena in high-energy physics and cosmology lack their resolution within the Standard Model of particle physics; these puzzles include the origin of neutrino masses, CP-violation in the leptonic sector, and baryon asymmetry of the Universe. They will only partially be addressed at LHC. A positive measurement of $\sin^22\theta_{13}>0.01$ would certainly give a tremendous boost to neutrino physics by opening the possibility to study CP violation in the lepton sector and the determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy with upgraded conventional super-beams. These experiments (so called ``Phase II'') require, in addition to an upgraded beam power, next generation very massive neutrino detectors with excellent energy resolution and high detection efficiency in a wide neutrino energy range, to cover 1st and 2nd oscillation maxima, and excellent particle identification and $\pi^0$ background suppression. Two generations of large water Cherenkov detectors at Kamioka (Kamiokande and Super-Kamiokande) have been extremely successful. And there are good reasons to consider a third generation water Cherenkov detector with an order of magnitude larger mass than Super-Kamiokande for both non-accelerator (proton decay, supernovae, ...) and accelerator-based physics. On the other hand, a very massive underground liquid Argon detector of about 100 kton could represent a credible alternative for the precision measurements of ``Phase II'' and aim at significantly new results in neutrino astroparticle and non-accelerator-based particle physics (e.g. proton decay).Comment: 31 pages, 14 figure

Recoilless Resonant Absorption of Monochromatic Neutrino Beam for Measuring Delta m^2_{31} and theta_{13}

We discuss, in the context of precision measurement of Delta m^2_{31} and theta_{13}, physics capabilities enabled by the recoilless resonant absorption of monochromatic antineutrino beam enhanced by the M\"ossbauer effect recently proposed by Raghavan. Under the assumption of small relative systematic error of a few tenth of percent level between measurement at different detector locations, we give analytical and numerical estimates of the sensitivities to Delta m^2_{31} and sin^2 2theta_{13}. The accuracies of determination of them are enormous; The fractional uncertainty in Delta m^2_{31} achievable by 10 point measurement is 0.6% (2.4%) for sin^2 2theta_{13} = 0.05, and the uncertainty of sin^2 2theta_{13} is 0.002 (0.008) both at 1 sigma CL with the optimistic (pessimistic) assumption of systematic error of 0.2% (1%). The former opens a new possibility of determining the neutrino mass hierarchy by comparing the measured value of Delta m^2_{31} with the one by accelerator experiments, while the latter will help resolving the theta_{23} octant degeneracy.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures, version to appear in New Journal of Physic

Large underground, liquid based detectors for astro-particle physics in Europe: scientific case and prospects

This document reports on a series of experimental and theoretical studies conducted to assess the astro-particle physics potential of three future large-scale particle detectors proposed in Europe as next generation underground observatories. The proposed apparatus employ three different and, to some extent, complementary detection techniques: GLACIER (liquid Argon TPC), LENA (liquid scintillator) and MEMPHYS (\WC), based on the use of large mass of liquids as active detection media. The results of these studies are presented along with a critical discussion of the performance attainable by the three proposed approaches coupled to existing or planned underground laboratories, in relation to open and outstanding physics issues such as the search for matter instability, the detection of astrophysical- and geo-neutrinos and to the possible use of these detectors in future high-intensity neutrino beams.Comment: 50 pages, 26 figure

Physics at a future neutrino factory and super-beam facility

The conclusions of the Physics Working Group of the International Scoping Study of a future Neutrino Factory and super-beam facility (the ISS) are presented. The ISS was carried out by the international community between NuFact05, (the 7th International Workshop on Neutrino Factories and Super-beams, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Rome, 21-26 June 2005) and NuFact06 (Ivine, CA, 24-30 August 2006). The physics case for an extensive experimental programme to understand the properties of the neutrino is presented and the role of high-precision measurements of neutrino oscillations within this programme is discussed in detail. The performance of second-generation super-beam experiments, beta-beam facilities and the Neutrino Factory are evaluated and a quantitative comparison of the discovery potential of the three classes of facility is presented. High-precision studies of the properties of the muon are complementary to the study of neutrino oscillations. The Neutrino Factory has the potential to provide extremely intense muon beams and the physics potential of such beams is discussed in the final section of the report