Design for a Megaton-Scale Water Cerenkov Detector for the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal, from the University of California at Davis, requests funds for a three year planning effort that will culminate in a Preliminary Design for a megaton scale water Cherenkov detector at DUSEL and a Near Detector at Fermilab. The last decade has been one of rapid progress in the field of neutrino physics and astrophysics. Neutrino flavor oscillations have been discovered, implying that the mass of the neutrino is non zero and that the mass and flavor states are mixed. Several precision measurements of the mixing parameters have been made or are now in progress, and a new generation of experiments designed to measure the unknown mixing angle theta-13 are now under construction. The neutrino spectrum from the sun has been measured for 8B and 7Be neutrinos, and radiochemical experiments have measured the integral solar neutrino flux including the pp reaction. To build upon these discoveries, the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) in 2007-08. in a report endorsed by HEPAP, called for a new neutrino initiative in the U.S. as part of a three pronged program in particle physics over the next decade. The flagship of this initiative would be an intense neutrino beam from Fermilab to a large detector at the DUSEL in South Dakota. This award, through a Cooperative Agreement with the University of California at Davis, would fund much of the university-based component of this effort, although the proposal also describes the entire planning effort including tasks that will be done at collaborating US national labs and or collaborating European institutions. Major tasks to be funded by this proposal are: Preliminary design for a Containment Vessel and associated infrastructure. This includes funding for establishment of a liaison group of physics and engineers to coordinate this planning effort with the existing DUSEL S3 organization. Development of detector simulations and analysis tools to address crucial design questions on detector optimization, including photomultiplier coverage and pixelization, veto requirements, calibration specifications, and energy threshold and resolution. Testing and characterization of photomultiplier tubes, including new models with high QE. This will include investigation of the use of light concentrators and waveshifter plates. Preliminary design of a water system, including support for a practical design of a system that could handle loading the water with gadolinium to allow detection of neutrons. Preliminary design for electronics, high voltage, and DAQ systems. The scientific goals of the proposed facility are broad, cutting across several disciplines, including stellar astrophysics, solar physics, and geotechnical and electrical engineering. This award will fund four international workshops on the science goals and engineering design of the detector, and will also support formulation of an Education and Outreach Plan in collaboration with the DUSEL S3 organization through LBL