A European strategy for accelerator-based neutrino physics
Fig1: CERN to Pyhäsalmi baseline, 2300 km. Image credit: LARP
Fig2: Preliminary layout of a 10 GeV Neutrino Factory on the CERN site, with neutrino beams pointing at Pyhäsalmi.
In preparation for the CERN strategy meeting in Cracow NEu2012 as part of EuCARD project activities has delivered a coherent proposal for the next accelerator neutrino facility in Europe, as a result of two complementary design studies. The programme calls for the continuation of neutrino beams at CERN after the CNGS, and for a high priority support from CERN and the member states to the experiments and R&D programme.
Since the 2006 European Strategy for Particle Physics (ESPP), the experimental situation has evolved; the next step is the quantitative evaluation of the measurement of the mass hierarchy and of the CP violation. Following the 2006 ESPP recommendations, two complementary design studies have been carried out by LAGUNA/LNBO and EUROnu. The role of EuCARD’s NEu2012 project activity has been to foster convergence between these different communities.
LAGUNA LBNO recommends a conventional neutrino beam CN2PY from CERN SPS towards the Pyhäsalmi mine in Finland situated at 2285 km, with a Liquid Argon magnetized iron hybrid detector. An expression of interest with large community support has been submitted, and aims at a full proposal by 2014.
EUROnu has compared a conventional super-beam from the CERN HP-SPL, a beta-beam implemented on the CERN site, and a Neutrino Factory. It concluded that a 10 GeV Neutrino Factory, aimed at a magnetized neutrino detector situated, also, at the same baseline of around 2200 km (±30%), would constitute the ultimate neutrino facility. It recommends that the next 5 years be devoted to the R&D, preparatory experiments and implementation study, in view of a proposal before the next ESPP update.
