Search for Neutrino Oscillations

该提案要求支持斯坦福大学高能物理组对费米实验室目前正在建设的主注入中微子振荡搜索（MINOS）实验的研究。 MINOS协作组成立于1994年10月，目前包括来自5个国家30个机构的约250名科学家和工程师。 该实验的目标是寻找和研究10-3范围内的中微子振荡 Dm2 10-2 eV2。 这是最近SuperKamiokande实验结果所指出的质量平方差区域，并得到Soudan和MACRO实验数据的支持。为了获得所需的“水平臂”，MINOS实验将使用费米实验室主注入器加速器产生的中微子束，并在约730公里外的苏丹矿中检测它们。 此外，第二个较小的探测器将建在费米实验室的中微子源附近，以研究中微子在有机会振荡之前的性质。 振荡的存在将表现为两个探测器中相互作用的性质和速率的差异。 斯坦福大学小组从一开始就参与了这项实验，并在其智力领导和管理方面发挥了重要作用。 目前实验的发言人是这个提议的PI。 该小组的主要技术贡献是软件开发和模拟。 打算继续这些努力，并在今后大力参与探测器的安装以及束流硬件和束流监测系统的某些方面。

This proposal requests support for research by the Stanford University high energy physics group on the Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (MINOS) experiment currently under construction at Fermilab. The MINOS collaboration was formed in October 1994, and currently it includes about 250 scientists and engineers from 30 institutions in five countries. The experiment has as its goal the search for and study of neutrino oscillations in the range 10-3 Dm2 10-2 eV2 . This is the mass-squared difference region indicated by the recent results from the SuperKamiokande experiment, and supported by data from the Soudan and MACRO experiments. To obtain the required "level arm", the MINOS experiment will use the beam of neutrinos produced by the Main Injector accelerator at Fermilab and detect them in the Soudan mine, about 730 km away. In addition, a second smaller detector will be built close to the neutrino source at Fermilab to study the properties of neutrinos before they have had a chance to oscillate. Presence of oscillations would exhibit itself as a difference in the nature and rate of interactions in the two detectors. The Stanford group has been involved in the experiment from its inception and has played a major role in its intellectual leadership and management. The current spokesman of the experiment is the PI of this proposal. The major technical contributions of this group have been in software development and simulations. It is intended to continue these efforts and to become involved significantly in the future in detector installation and some aspects of the beam hardware and beam monitoring system.