Beta beams:An accelerator based facility to explore neutrino oscillation physics

Abstract

The discovery that the neutrino changes flavor as it travels through space has implications for the Standard Model of particle physics (SM)[1]. To know the contribution of neutrinos to the SM, needs precise measurements of the parameters governing the neutrino oscillations. This will require a high intensity beam-based neutrino oscillation facility. The EUROν Design Study will review three currently accepted methods of realizing this facility (the so-called Super-Beams, Beta Beams and Neutrino Factories) and perform a cost assessment that, coupled with the physics performance, will give means to the European research authorities to make a decision on the lay-out and construction of the future European neutrino oscillation facility. "Beta Beams" produce collimated pure electron neutrino and antineutrino beams by accelerating beta active ions to high energies and letting them decay in a race-track shaped storage ring. EUROν Beta Beams are based on CERNs infrastructure and the fact that some of the already existing accelerators can be used. To use existing machines is a strong advantage for the cost evaluation, however this choice is also constraining the Beta Beams. In this article we describe recent work that has made the Beta Beam facility a solid option for neutrino production: new ideas and developments to produce and collect different Beta Beam isotopes, the 60 GHz pulsed ECR source development, the integration of Beta Beams in the upgrade program for LHC, work to ensure the very high intensity ion beam stability in the different machines, and optimizations of the decay ring to get high neutrino flux at a gamma boost of 100