ICARUS

Collaboration

- Italy: Laboratori Nazionali di Gran Sasso, INFN; Department of Physics and INFN, University of Padova; Department of Physics and INFN, University of Milano; Department of Physics and INFN, University of Naples "Federico II"; Department of Physics and INFN, University of Pavia; Politecnico di Milano (CESNEF), University of Milano; Department of Physics and INFN, University of L'Aquila; Universita' of Torino; INFN Pisa, San Piero a Grado (PI); ICGF del CNR di Torino, Torino.
- CERN, Geneva, Switzerland.
- People's Republic of China: IHEP - Academia Sinica, Beijing.
- Poland:Institute of Physics, University of Silesia, Katowice; Faculty of Physics and Nuclear Techniques, University of Mining and Metallurgy, Krakov; H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakov; H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakov; Institute of Physics, Jagellonian University, Krakov; A. Soltan Institute for Nuclear Studies, Warszawa; Institute of Theoretical Physics, Wroclaw University, Wroclaw; Institute of Mechanics and Machine Design, Krakow University of Technology, Krakow.
- Switzerland: Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Honggerberg, Zurich,
- USA: Department of Physics, UCLA, Los Angeles,

Laboratory: Gran Sasso National Laboratory

National Responsible: C. Rubbia (Pv)

1. Goal of the experiment
The experiment aims at the demonstration and at a comprehensive study of neutrino oscillations through the detection and detailed analysis of neutrino events coming both from natural (solar and atmospheric neutrinos) and artificial (CERN to Gran Sasso Long Baseline Neutrino Beam) sources. The other major issue of the ICARUS scientific program is the search for nucleon decay especially in SUSY favored (N --> n K) or exotic channels.

More on the experiment...

2.

Activities during 2002
In 2002 major efforts were devoted to settle the T600 installation in LNGS. A detailed project was produced and submitted to the LNGS authorities. A complete risk analysis was also performed on the basis the T600 design and its' specific implementation in LNGS.

Unexpected delays in the evaluation and approval procedures required by the LNGS authorities prevented the Collaboration to meet the milestones fixed for 2002 (namely, installation and activation of the T600 module in the underground laboratory).

During 2002 the assembly of the second half-module was also completed.

Milestones 2003

Technical design of the Icarus T1200 detector | 30-06-2003
Completion of the installation of the Icarus T600 module in Hall B at LNGS | 30-11-2003
Tender completion of subsystems of the Icarus T1200 detector | 30-12-2003

3. INFN contribution to the experiment in terms of manpower and financial support
Manpower:

Support to the experiment is largely dominated by the INFN contribution both for funding and for manpower. Contribution of INFN to the T600 corresponds to about 90 % of the total cost. Correspondingly, the INFN groups have the construction responsibility for the most relevant items (cryogenics and purification systems, internal detector mechanics, readout electronics, trigger systems, logistics). The number of researchers involved is 50 (31.7 FTE).
Contributions from non INFN groups concern the slow control system (ETH group) and the HV supply and control (UCLA group), the contribution of the IHEP-Beijing group is expressed in terms of manpower for the wiring of the chambers while the several groups from Polish institutions gave contributions on the T600 external trigger and are currently involved in the analysis of the events recorded during the T600 test run.

Budget for the Year 2003: 8.6% of the CSNII total budget
4. Publications in refereed journals (in 2002): 2
5. Conference talks (in 2002): 2
6. Number of undergraduate and doctoral thesis on the experiment: 3
7. Leadership roles in the experiment
C. Rubbia (Universita' degli Studi di Pavia ed INFN Sezione di Pavia) - Spokesman
E. Calligarich (INFN Sezione di Pavia ) - Project leader
8. Innovative instruments
As part of the cryogenics of the T600 module we have built a new type of modular evacuated thermal insulation suited for large liquid argon, nitrogen and oxygen cryostats.
9. Competing experiments
The project is in competition with the Japanese (K2K), American (MINOS) and European (OPERA) experiments for the search of neutrino oscillations on long baselines. Points in favour of the experiment are the direct demonstration of the oscillation phenomenon by means of the identification of nt and ne, the combined analysis of beam and atmospheric neutrinos, the possibility to extend the sensitivity by adding more detector units.