Dissertation Enhancement: Particle Astrophysics at the Super-Kamiokande Neutrino Observatory

该奖项为R. J. Wilkes博士提供为期6个月的国家科学基金会论文增强奖，该博士就职于日本莫津市的超级神冈中微子天文台，该天文台由日本东京的宇宙射线研究所（ICRR）运营。Wilkes博士的学生Ross Doyle先生将与ICRR主任Yoji Totsuka教授合作，进行一项名为“超级神冈的大气中微子观测”的研究项目。过去二十年来进行的实验证据一致表明，观测到的来自太阳的电子中微子的数量与可能预期的数量之间存在差异。Homestake、SAGE、神冈II和GALLEX等实验都报告了比标准模型预测的更少的电子中微子。由于目前还没有开发出既能充分预测观测到的中微子水平又能解释所有其他观测到的太阳特征的太阳模型，中微子振荡的可能性被用来解释测量到的一个物种的缺陷。拟议的研究旨在确定这些中微子振荡是否确实发生，如果是的话，以比以前更高的精度测量太阳电子中微子通量。* * *

9724751 Wilkes This award supports a 6 month National Science Foundation Dissertation Enhancement Award for Dr. R. J. Wilkes at the Super-Kamiokande Neutrino Observatory, Mozumi, Japan, operated by the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research (ICRR), Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Wilkes's student, Mr. Ross Doyle, will work with Professor Yoji Totsuka, Director of ICRR, on a research project entitled "Atmospheric Neutrino Observations with Super-Kamiokande". Evidence from experiments conducted over the last two decades consistently suggests there is a discrepancy between the number of electron neutrinos observed coming from the sun and the number that might be expected. Experiments such as Homestake, SAGE, Kamiokande II, and GALLEX have all reported fewer electron neutrinos than standard models predict. Because no solar models have yet been developed that are adequately able to both predict the observed level of neutrinos and yet account for all the other observed features of the sun, the possibility of neutrino oscillations has been invoked as an explanation for the measured deficit of one species. The proposed research is designed to determine whether these neutrino oscillations actually occur and, if so, measure the solar electron neutrino flux with greater accuracy than has been accomplished previously. ***