Study of Neutrino Oscillations

中微子振荡研究

• 批准号: 0354945
• 负责人: Stanley Wojcicki
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Stanford University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-06-01 至 2008-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0354945&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Study; Neutrino; Oscillations

The proposed research at Stanford University aims to provide new understanding of the underlying causes for a fundamental property of nature known as neutrino oscillations. One of the unexpected results in particle physics during the last decade has been the discovery that neutrinos have mass, that they have the ability to change from one species to another as they travel through space or matter, and that the extent of these transformations (mixing angles) is surprisingly large. Neutrinos are fundamental constituents of our universe and, together with photons are the most numerous. Yet, neutrinos are poorly understood compared to other fundamental constituents and further studies are required to understand many significant issues in cosmology and astrophysics, to probe physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, and to resolve the mystery of matter-antimatter asymmetry in our universe. The proposed program consists of the MINOS experiment and planning for an off-axis neutrino experiment with the neutrino beam currently being completed at Fermilab. The MINOS experiment is in its final stages of construction. The far detector of MINOS, located in the Soudan Mine in northern Minnesota was completed in August 2003 and has begun taking data on cosmic rays. The neutrino beam and other related construction efforts at Fermilab are expected to be complete by the end of 2004 and data taking with accelerator neutrinos should commence shortly thereafter. The MINOS experiment will significantly improve our knowledge of neutrino oscillation parameters in the atmospheric neutrino energy region; will search for subdominant oscillation modes into electron and/or sterile neutrinos; and will observe oscillatory behavior of muon neutrino disappearance, thus providing a conclusive test of the oscillation origin of that phenomenon. The broader impact of the research will occur at several levels: (a) Understanding how matter is constructed and how the forces of nature shape it into the myriad observed forms is a long standing question that resonates with scientists and non-scientists alike; (b) The research program poses a set of questions through which students and postdoctoral fellows will learn not only to frame crisp tests of the fundamental construction of matter, but also to devise innovative methods and tools for conducting them. Attacking such problems provides the rigorously educated young people that our society desperately needs; and (c) the proposal includes elements of outreach to the broader community.

斯坦福大学提出的这项研究旨在为自然界一种被称为中微子振荡的基本性质的根本原因提供新的理解。在过去的十年中，粒子物理学中一个意想不到的结果是发现中微子有质量，它们在穿过空间或物质时能够从一种物质变成另一种物质，并且这些转变的程度（混合角）令人惊讶地大。中微子是我们宇宙的基本组成部分，与光子一起数量最多。然而，与其他基本成分相比，人们对中微子的了解很少，需要进一步的研究来理解宇宙学和天体物理学中的许多重要问题，探索粒子物理学标准模型之外的物理学，并解决我们宇宙中物质-反物质不对称的奥秘。拟议的计划包括MINOS实验和计划离轴中微子实验，中微子束目前正在费米实验室完成。 MINOS实验正处于最后的建设阶段。MINOS的远探测器位于明尼苏达州北方的Soudan矿，于2003年8月完成，并已开始收集宇宙射线数据。费米实验室的中微子束和其他相关建设工作预计将于2004年底完成，此后不久将开始用加速器中微子进行数据采集。MINOS实验将大大提高我们对大气中微子能区中微子振荡参数的认识;将寻找电子和/或无菌中微子的次主导振荡模式;并将观察μ子中微子消失的振荡行为，从而对这种现象的振荡起源提供结论性的检验。（a）了解物质是如何构成的，以及自然力如何将物质塑造成无数可观察到的形式，这是一个长期存在的问题，科学家和非科学家都对此产生了共鸣;（B）研究计划提出了一系列问题，通过这些问题，学生和博士后研究员将不仅学会对物质的基本结构进行清晰的测试，而且还需要设计创新的方法和工具来开展这些活动。解决这些问题可以提供我们社会迫切需要的受过严格教育的年轻人;以及（c）该建议包括向更广泛的社区推广的内容。