T2K Results and Future Plans

We present the numu to nue appearance and the numu disappearance results, using a total of 1.43 x 10^{20} protons on target collected with the T2K experiment. T2K is long baseline neutrino experiment in Japan with detectors located at J-PARC, Tokai, and at Kamioka in the Gifu Prefecture, situated 295 km away from J-PARC. The muon neutrino beam is produced and measured at the near detectors at J-PARC whilst the neutrino rates after oscillation are measured with the Super-Kamiokande detector, at Kamioka. A total of six events pass all the selection criteria for numu to nue oscillations at the far detector Super-Kamiokande, leading to 0.03(0.04) < sin^2 2theta_{13} < 0.28(0.34) for deltaCP = 0 and normal (inverted) hierarchy at 90% C.L. The numu disappearance analysis excludes no oscillations at 4.3 sigma. At 90% C.L., the best fit values are sin^2 2theta_{23} > 0.84 and 2.1 x 10^{-3} < Delta m^2_{23} (eV^2) < 3.1 x 10^{-3}. Finally, we present an overview of the T2K plans from 2011 onwards.Comment: Contribution to NUFACT 11, XIIIth International Workshop on Neutrino Factories, Super beams and Beta beams, 1-6 August 2011, CERN and University of Geneva (Submitted to IOP conference series). 8 pages, 7 postscript figure

Neutrino oscillation physics at an upgraded CNGS with large next generation liquid Argon TPC detectors

The determination of the missing $U_{e3}$ element (magnitude and phase) of the PMNS neutrino mixing matrix is possible via the detection of \numu\to\nue oscillations at a baseline $L$ and energy $E$ given by the atmospheric observations, corresponding to a mass squared difference $E/L \sim \Delta m^2\simeq 2.5\times 10^{-3} eV^2$. While the current optimization of the CNGS beam provides limited sensitivity to this reaction, we discuss in this document the physics potential of an intensity upgraded and energy re-optimized CNGS neutrino beam coupled to an off-axis detector. We show that improvements in sensitivity to $\theta_{13}$ compared to that of T2K and NoVA are possible with a next generation large liquid Argon TPC detector located at an off-axis position (position rather distant from LNGS, possibly at shallow depth). We also address the possibility to discover CP-violation and disentangle the mass hierarchy via matter effects. The considered intensity enhancement of the CERN SPS has strong synergies with the upgrade/replacement of the elements of its injector chain (Linac, PSB, PS) and the refurbishing of its own elements, envisioned for an optimal and/or upgraded LHC luminosity programme.Comment: 37 pages, 20 figure

Neutrino-nucleus cross sections for oscillation experiments

Neutrino oscillations physics is entered in the precision era. In this context accelerator-based neutrino experiments need a reduction of systematic errors to the level of a few percent. Today one of the most important sources of systematic errors are neutrino-nucleus cross sections which in the hundreds-MeV to few-GeV energy region are known with a precision not exceeding 20%. In this article we review the present experimental and theoretical knowledge of the neutrino-nucleus interaction physics. After introducing neutrino oscillation physics and accelerator-based neutrino experiments, we overview general aspects of the neutrino-nucleus cross sections, both theoretical and experimental views. Then we focus on these quantities in different reaction channels. We start with the quasielastic and quasielastic-like cross section, putting a special emphasis on multinucleon emission channel which attracted a lot of attention in the last few years. We review the main aspects of the different microscopic models for this channel by discussing analogies and differences among them.The discussion is always driven by a comparison with the experimental data. We then consider the one pion production channel where data-theory agreement remains very unsatisfactory. We describe how to interpret pion data, then we analyze in particular the puzzle related to the impossibility of theoretical models and Monte Carlo to simultaneously describe MiniBooNE and MINERvA experimental results. Inclusive cross sections are also discussed, as well as the comparison between the $\nu_\mu$ and $\nu_e$ cross sections, relevant for the CP violation experiments. The impact of the nuclear effects on the reconstruction of neutrino energy and on the determination of the neutrino oscillation parameters is reviewed. A window to the future is finally opened by discussing projects and efforts in future detectors, beams, and analysis

Long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment at the AGS. Physics design report

The authors present a design for a multi-detector long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment at the BNL AGS. It has been approved by the BNL-HENP-PAC as AGS Experiment 889. The experiment will search for oscillations in the {nu}{sub {mu}}, disappearance channel and the {nu}{sub {mu}} {leftrightarrow} {nu}{sub e} appearance channel by means of four identical neutrino detectors located 1, 3, 24, and 68km from the AGS neutrino source. Observed depletion of the {nu}{sub {mu}} flux (via quasi-elastic muon neutrino events, {nu}{sub {mu}}n {yields} {mu}{sup {minus}}p) in the far detectors not attended by an observed proportional increase of the {nu}{sub e} flux (via quasi-elastic electron neutrino events, {nu}{sub e}n {yields} e{sup {minus}}p) in those detectors will be prima facie evidence for the oscillation channel {nu}{sub {mu}} {leftrightarrow} {nu}{sub {tau}}. The experiment is directed toward exploration of the region of the neutrino oscillation parameters {Delta}m{sup 2} and sin{sup 2}2{theta}, suggested by the Kamiokande and IMB deep underground detectors but it will also explore a region more than two orders of magnitude larger than that of previous accelerator experiments. The experiment will run in a mode new to BNL. It will receive the fast extracted proton beam on the neutrino target approximately 20 hours per day when the AGS is not filling RHIC. A key aspect of the experimental design involves placing the detectors 1.5 degrees off the center line of the neutrino beam, which has the important advantage that the central value of the neutrino energy ({approx} 1 GeV) and the beam spectral shape are, to a good approximation, the same in all four detectors. The proposed detectors are massive, imaging, water Cherenkov detectors similar in large part to the Kamiokande and IMB detectors. The design has profited from their decade-long experience, and from the detector designs of the forthcoming SNO and SuperKamiokande detectors