Search for Neutrino Oscillations

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal requests support for research by the Stanford University high energy physics group on the Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (MINOS) experiment currently under construction at Fermilab. The MINOS collaboration was formed in October 1994, and currently it includes about 250 scientists and engineers from 30 institutions in five countries. The experiment has as its goal the search for and study of neutrino oscillations in the range 10-3 < Dm2 < 10-2 eV2 . This is the mass-squared difference region indicated by the recent results from the SuperKamiokande experiment, and supported by data from the Soudan and MACRO experiments. To obtain the required "level arm", the MINOS experiment will use the beam of neutrinos produced by the Main Injector accelerator at Fermilab and detect them in the Soudan mine, about 730 km away. In addition, a second smaller detector will be built close to the neutrino source at Fermilab to study the properties of neutrinos before they have had a chance to oscillate. Presence of oscillations would exhibit itself as a difference in the nature and rate of interactions in the two detectors. The Stanford group has been involved in the experiment from its inception and has played a major role in its intellectual leadership and management. The current spokesman of the experiment is the PI of this proposal. The major technical contributions of this group have been in software development and simulations. It is intended to continue these efforts and to become involved significantly in the future in detector installation and some aspects of the beam hardware and beam monitoring system.