NuFact Working Group

Collaboration:

- INFN: Bari, Cagliari, LNL, Milano, Ferrara, Napoli, Padova, Pisa, Roma I , Roma III, Trieste
- CERN. Geneva, Switzerland
- Belgium: Louvain-la-Neuve UCL
- France: Paris VI-VII University, Saclay, Lyon, Annecy
- Germany: Dortmund University, Max Planch Institute, Univ. of Munich
- Greece: University of Athens, Hellenic Open University, NESTOR Insutute
- Spain: University of Valencia, Univesity of Madrid, University of Barcelona
- Switzerland: University of Geneva, Univ. of Zurich, ETH, PSI
- United Kingdom: Oxford University; RA, Sheffield University, Imperial College, University of Birmingnham

The collaboration is the ECFA Working Groups (WG) towards a Neutrino Factory Complex. Membership to the WG, mandated, sponsored and periodically reviewed by ECFA, is defined by partecipation to plenary groups, sub-groups and R&D projects. The Working Groups consist of both particle physicists, experimental and theoretical, and accelerator physicists. Contributions are provided both by stable members and more occasional collaborators, the above list of instiutions certainly neglects some. The INFN members are among the most active participants to the activities. INFN participates through this WG of particle physicists funded by Commissione II and through a group of accelerator specialists funded in the context of the Progetti Speciali. They work in close proximity. The ECFA Working Groups are themselves part of the world-wide loosely defined but tightly interweaved Collaboration of EU, US and Japan on all aspects of a future Neutrino Factory.

Laboratory and Beam: CERN hosts mosts of the meetings. R&D projects are carried out on proton, pion and muon beams at CERN, TRIUMPH and soon possibly at PSI and/or RAL.

National Responsible : V. Palladino (Napoli)

1 Goal of the Nufact Working Group

The ECFA works towards the Conceptual and Technical Design and later the realization of a Muon Complex with a Muon Storage Ring in mind as first application. This would provide superior beams of muon AND electron neutrinos. This has become known as Neutrino Factory (NuFact). Neutrino Factories will eventually be capable of superior neutrino intensity thanks to two major innovations:
1) the realization of a super intense proton driver capable of accelerating up to 10^16 protons/sec
2) the selective acceleration of the muons produced. It is the first time that we plan to accelerate neutrino parents. This will result in an unprecedented increase of neutrino flux, that is proportional to the square of the parent momentum.

The proposal of the first concrete R&D project, the hadroproduction experiment HARP, is dated November 1999. We hope that the successful launch of HARP is only the first instance of generation inside the Working Group of such R&D projects. Studies towards the realization and the instrumentation of a Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment have advanced this year and promise to make a Proposal possible during 2002.While the Working Group includes in its vocation the stimulation of such R&D projects and the assembling of the human resources necessary, it aims at the same time to keep an independent existence and activity, focused on the physics reach of the Muon Complex and on the experimental detection techniques that will be used in its exploitation.

The INFN group has interest in the totality of the ECFA WG general program. In addition to the principal aim of a NuFact Complex, that is experimentation for long and very long baseline studies of neutrino oscillations, including possibly CP violation effects, a very rich additional program is envisaged. Short baseline neutrino physics with absolutely unprecedented intensities. And more in general the opening to experimentation of a high intensity fronteer that will complement the push for higher center of mass energies. Studies of rare decays and/or conversions of slow muons (lepton flavor violation), rare decay of kaons being the first natural candidates .

More on the Working Group: http://muonstoragerings.cern.ch/Welcome.html

2

Achievements during 2001

- Studies of the physics potential of a Muon Complex. This includes, besides the Neutrino Factory, conventional neutrino Superbeams and the novel concept of a Neutrino Beta Beam based on the beta decay of radioactive ions. In these two sectors leading contributions have been provided respectively by M. Mezzetto and P. Zucchelli.
- Contributions to NuFact01, the yearly NuFact Workshop, in Tsukuba at the end of May. Talks by M. Mezzetto and V. Palladino.
- Conrtibution to the CERN Yellow Report documenting the activities of the ECFA WG. All but one chapters are ready. Many INFN colleagues will sign the Report.
- Preparation of a Letter of Intent for a Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE). This was presented to PSI and RAL on Nov 23 and received an encouraging first review by the PSI program committee on Jan 7, 2001. It is proposed by the entire world wide community of EU, US and Japan physicists interested in a Muon Complex.
- Preparation of a Workshop on Large Magnetic Detectors (LMD) at a Neutrino Factory, capable of the powerful signature of wrong sign muon for neutrino oscillations. Held in Sitges(Spain) in November. V. Palladino and S. Ragazzi were in the Scientific Advisory Committee(SAC). Talks by T. Tabarelli, M. Selvi, G. Santin.
- Preparation of a Workshop on Large Water Cerenkov (LWC) detectors for Superbeams and Betabeams, to be held in January 2002,. M. Baldo Ceolim, M. Mezzetto and V. Palladino are in the SAC.

Milestones 2002

Progress on the Conceptual Design of a Large Magnetic Detector and definition of its R&D activity | end 2002
Definition of European partecipation to large Water Cerenkov R&D activity | 30-10--2002
Organization of the 1st NuFact Summer School in Oxford (V. Palladino co-director) | 24-6-2002
Contribution to the NuFact02 Workshop in London | 1-7-2002
Preparation of a full Technical Proposal for a Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment | end 2002
Injection of HARP data in the simulations of the front end of the Muon Complez | 30-10--2002
Further work on detrailed simulation of the Muon Complex | end 2002
Full exploration of the potential of Superbeams and Beta beams | end 2002

3 INFN contributionto the Working Group

INFN contributes to the Working Group a significant fraction of its activity. The financial cost of its existence is limited.

4 Number of publications in refereed journals: 2

5 Number of talks to conferences: 6

6 Number of thesis on NuFact:

- 1 undergraduate thesis ongoing
- 1 doctoral thesis ongoing

7 Leadership role in the NuFact Working Group

V. Palladino (NA) is member of the Steering Committee of the ECFA Group and organizes the Plenary Muon Weeks 4 times per year. M. Mezzetto is one of the main leaders of the work on Superbeams. P. Zuccheli is recognized as initiator and driving force in the sector of Betabeams. E. Radicioni and V. Palladino are respecrtively responsible for DAQ and Detector studies for the MICE experiment.

8 Innovative instruments

The Muon Complex is a far reaching completely novel device. It involves state of the art and beyond solutions to problems related to targetting, collection, cooling, acceleration and storage of neutrino parents and to detection of adequate samples of rare interactions of oscillated neutrinos. Unprecedented accelerator and detector technologies are being investigated and realized.

9 Competitive experiments: very similar efforts in USA and Japan. Growing sinergy and collaboration in very rapid progress.

10 International reviews

The NuFact studies are periodically reviewed by ECFA and the national funding agencies (Commissione II in INFN). Individual R&D projects are scrutinized by the Program Committees of the Laboratory where a project is proposed.