T2K at QMUL
NEWS: First "Indication of Electron Neutrino Appearance from an Accelerator-produced Off-axis Muon Neutrino Beam" from T2K. Click here for the preprint (arXiv:1106.2822v1 [hep-ex], accepted by PRL).
T2K is a long baseline neutrino experiment whose main goal is the observation of the appearance of electron neutrinos from a beam of muon neutrinos.
An example of a realtime event from the Super-Kamiokande detector (the 'far' detector of the T2K experiment):
More details on our research:
Introduction
In the last 15years there has been a huge increase of discoveries in the neutrino sector. T2K plans to achieve the next big milestone that is the determination of the mixing angle theta13. Please read the seminar by F. Di Lodovico for a recent review of neutrino physics and introduction to T2K.
Theta13 can be measured from the appearance probability of electron neutrinos in a muon neutrino beam. Assuming that theta13 is non-zero, the CP violation measurement will be performed studying the oscillation probabilities of neutrino muons into neutrino electrons and of antineutrino muons to anti-neutrino electrons.
The T2K experiment is a long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment. A high intensity narrow band neutrino beam is produced by secondary pions created by a 50 GeV proton synchrotron at the Japanese Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) in Tokai, Japan. The neutrino energy is tuned to the oscillation maximum at ~1 GeV for a baseline length of 295 km towards Super-Kamiokande.
The main physics goal of the first phase, starting at the end of 2009 and lasting about 5 years, is a factor of 20 more sensitive search in the neutrino muon into neutrino electron appearance.
In the second phase, an upgrade of the accelerator beam power and the construction of a bigger and improved far detector are envisaged. Another order of magnitude improvement in the netrino muons into neutrino electrons oscillation sensitivity, a sensitive search of the CP violation in the lepton sector and an order of magnitude improvement in the proton decay sensitivity is also expected.
The J-PARC to Super--Kamiokande neutrino program envisages a near detector at 280 m (ND280) to measure the neutrino beam before it reaches the far detector, such to directly measure the neutrino beam before it oscillates.
Group's activities
The QMUL group is supported by STFC and ERC. F. Di Lodovico is the PI of the group.
The activity of the QMUL group spans several crucial areas within T2K:
- Electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) construction and calibration at ND280
- ND280 physics and software
- SuperKamiokande
- T2K upgrade
Recent presentations
F. Di Lodovico, T2K Results and Future Plans, NUFACT11, Geneva, 1-6 August 2011.
F. Di Lodovico, T2K Status, NExT Meeting on Neutrino Physics and Particle Cosmology, Southampton, 4 May 2011.
B. Still, The T2K Experiment and Theta13, Nuclear and Particle Physics Divisional Conference in 2011, Glasgow, 4-7 April 2011.
E. Poplawska, pi0 Cross Section Measurement at the T2K Experiment, Nuclear and Particle Physics Divisional Conference in 2011, Glasgow, 4-7 April 2011.
A. Hyndman, 1st Results from the Super-Kamiokande Detector for Muon Neutrino Disappearance at T2K, Nuclear and Particle Physics Divisional Conference in 2011, Glasgow, 4-7 April 2011.
R. Terri, T2K and Neutrino Cross Section Errors at Super-Kamiokande, Nuclear and Particle Physics Divisional Conference in 2011, Glasgow, 4-7 April 2011.
R. Terri, Current Status of the T2K Experiment, Planck 2010, May 31-June 4.
M. George, The Electron Neutrino Analysis at T2K, Lake Louise Winter Institute 2010, 14-20 February 2010.
B. Still, Neutral Pions and T2K, Lake Louise Winter Institute 2010, 14-20 February 2010.
B. Still, The Measuring electron neutrino (nue) background in the T2K near detector, QMUL Particle Physics Research Centre Seminar, 13 November 2009.
M. George, The Physics and Analysis of Cosmic Muons in the Downstream ECAL of T2K. IoP Meeting, Oxford, 6-8 March 2009.
F. Di Lodovico, Lost in Translation. The T2K Experiment, QMUL Physics Department Seminar, 30 March 2009.
R. Terri, Status of T2K, Tau 2008, Novosibirsk, Russia, 22-25 Sept. 2008.
Internal information
Internal mailing list for QM members.
If you have any question, please refer to Francesca Di Lodovico.
Last update, November 12, 2010, FDL