4 research outputs found
High intensity cyclotrons for neutrino physics
In recent years, the interest in high intensity proton beams in excess of
several milli-Amperes has risen. Potential applications are in neutrino
physics, materials and energy research, and isotope production. Continuous wave
proton beams of five to ten milli-Amperes are now in reach due to advances in
accelerator technology and through improved understanding of the beam dynamics.
As an example application, we present the proposed IsoDAR experiment, a search
for so-called sterile neutrinos and non-standard interaction using the KamLAND
detector located in Japan. We present updated sensitivities for this experiment
and describe in detail the design of the high intensity proton driver that uses
several novel ideas. These are: accelerating H2+ instead of protons, directly
injecting beam into the cyclotron via a Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ), and
carefully matching the beam to achieve so-called vortex motion. The preliminary
design holds up well in PIC simulation studies and the injector system is now
being constructed, to be commissioned with a 1 MeV test cyclotron
NURE: An ERC project to study nuclear reactions for neutrinoless double beta decay
Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is considered the best potential resource to
access the absolute neutrino mass scale. Moreover, if observed, it will signal that neutrinos are
their own anti-particles (Majorana particles). Presently, this physics case is one of the most
important research “beyond Standard Model” and might guide the way towards a Grand
Unified Theory of fundamental interactions.
Since the 0νββ decay process involves nuclei, its analysis necessarily implies nuclear structure
issues. In the NURE project, supported by a Starting Grant of the European Research Council
(ERC), nuclear reactions of double charge-exchange (DCE) are used as a tool to extract
information on the 0νββ Nuclear Matrix Elements. In DCE reactions and ββ decay indeed the
initial and final nuclear states are the same and the transition operators have similar structure.
Thus the measurement of the DCE absolute cross-sections can give crucial information on ββ
matrix elements. In a wider view, the NUMEN international collaboration plans a major
upgrade of the INFN-LNS facilities in the next years in order to increase the experimental
production of nuclei of at least two orders of magnitude, thus making feasible a systematic
study of all the cases of interest as candidates for 0νββ
Beam dynamics simulation for the high intensity DAEdALUS cyclotrons
In the DAEδALUS (Decay-At-rest Experiment for δ[subscript CP] studies At the Laboratory for Underground Science) project, high power H[+ over 2] cyclotron chains are proposed to efficiently provide proton beams with a kinetic energy of 800 MeV and an average power in the MW range. Space charge plays a pivotal role in both the injector and the ring cyclotrons. Large-scale particle simulations show that the injector cyclotron is a space charge dominated cyclotron and that a 5 mA beam current can be extracted with tolerable beam losses on the septum. In contrast, in the ring cyclotron, no space charge induced beam loss is observed during acceleration and extraction
The NUMEN project @ LNS : Status and perspectives
The aim of the NUMEN project is to access the Nuclear Matrix Elements (NME), involved in the half life of the neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ), by measuring the cross sections of Heavy Ions (HI) induced Double Charge Exchange (DCE) reactions with high accuracy. First evidence of the possibility to get quantitative information about NME from experiments is shown in the reaction 40Ca(18O,18Ne)40Ar at 270 MeV, performed with MAGNEX spectrometer using Superconducting Cyclotron (CS) beams at INFN - Laboratory Nazionali del Sud (LNS) in Catania. Preliminary tests on 116Sn and 116Cd target are already performed. High beam intensity is the new frontiers for these studies.peerReviewe