Proton driver optimization for new generation neutrino superbeams to search for sub-leading numu->nue oscillations (${\theta }_{13}$ angle)

Abstract

We perform a systematic study of particle production and neutrino yields for different incident proton energies $E_p$ and baselines $L$, with the aim of optimizing the parameters of a neutrino beam for the investigation of ${\theta }_{13}$-driven neutrino oscillations in the $\Delta m^2$ range allowed by Superkamiokande results. We study the neutrino energy spectra in the ``relevant'' region of the first maximum of the oscillation at a given baseline $L$. We find that to each baseline $L$ corresponds an ``optimal'' proton energy $E_p$ which minimizes the required integrated proton intensity needed to observe a fixed number of oscillated events. In addition, we find that the neutrino event rate in the relevant region scales approximately linearly with the proton energy. Hence, baselines $L$ and proton energies $E_p$ can be adjusted and the performance for neutrino oscillation searches will remain approximately unchanged provided that the product of the proton energy times the number of protons on target remains constant. We apply these ideas to the specific cases of 2.2, 4.4, 20, 50 and 400 GeV protons. We simulate focusing systems that are designed to best capture the secondary pions of the ``optimal'' energy. We compute the expected sensitivities to ${\sin }^{2}2{\theta }_{13}$ for the various configurations by assuming the existence of new generation accelerators able to deliver integrated proton intensities on target times the proton energy of the order of $\mathcal{O}(5\times 10^{23})\mathrm{GeV}\times pot/year$.

arXiv comment39 pages, 17 figures

References in corpus (6)

• Evidence for oscillation of atmospheric neutrinos
• Limits on Neutrino Oscillations from the CHOOZ Experiment
• The JHF-Kamioka neutrino project
• Physics potential at a neutrino factory: can we benefit from more than just detecting muons?
• The ICARUS Experiment, A Second-Generation Proton Decay Experiment and Neutrino Observatory at the Gran Sasso Laboratory
• A low energy optimization of the CERN-NGS neutrino beam for a theta_{13} driven neutrino oscillation search

Cited by in corpus (8)

• The next-generation liquid-scintillator neutrino observatory LENA
• A new, very massive modular Liquid Argon Imaging Chamber to detect low energy off-axis neutrinos from the CNGS beam. (Project MODULAr)
• Detectors and flux instrumentation for future neutrino facilities
• The liquid Argon TPC: a powerful detector for future neutrino experiments and proton decay searches
• An incremental approach to unravel the neutrino mass hierarchy and CP violation with a long-baseline Superbeam for large ${\theta }_{13}$
• Ideas for future liquid Argon detectors
• A low energy optimization of the CERN-NGS neutrino beam for a theta_{13} driven neutrino oscillation search
• A CERN-based high-intensity high-energy proton source for long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments with next-generation large underground detectors for proton decay searches and neutrino physics and astrophysics