The MICE Collaboration

Abstract

A Neutrino Factory based on a muon storage ring is the ultimate tool for studies of neutrino oscillations, including possibly the discovery of leptonic CP violation. It is also the first step towards a µ + µ – collider. Ionization cooling of muons has never been demonstrated in practise but has been shown by end-to-end simulation and design studies to be an important factor both for the performance and for the cost of a Neutrino Factory. This motivates an international programme of R&D, including an experimental demonstration. The aims of the international Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment proposed in this document are: • To show that it is possible to design, engineer and build a section of cooling channel capable of giving the desired performance for a Neutrino Factory; • To place it in a muon beam and measure its performance in various modes of operation and beam conditions, thereby investigating the limits and practicality of cooling. The MICE collaboration have designed an experiment in which a section of an ionization cooling channel is exposed to a muon beam. This cooling channel assembles liquid-hydroge