RUI: Neutrino Physics at Daya Bay

Siena University, Loudonville NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Daya Bay collaboration aims to measure the "last" neutrino mixing angle, theta_13, with a sensitivity in sin^2(2theta_13) of 1%. Establishment of a nonzero value for this mixing angle would strongly suggest the possibility of CP violation in the neutrino sector. Daya Bay is an international collaboration, including groups from the People's Republic of China and groups from the United States. This award supports the contributions of the Siena College group. Siena has contributed to the water pool muon veto shield and is now finishing the design and construction of a multi-channel resistivity monitoring system to monitor the purity of the water in the muon pools. Once this is installed in China, the Siena effort will focus on analysis, first of the data from the water monitoring system and then the physics data from the anti-neutrino detectors. Broader Impacts: This program will provide research opportunities for undergraduates and expose them to exciting particle physics developments both in the US and in China. Students will actively participate in the Daya Bay experiment and present results to the collaboration in China and at conferences and meetings.