Design for a Megaton-Scale Water Cerenkov Detector for the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab

深部地下科学与工程实验室百万吨级水切伦科夫探测器设计

• 批准号: 0919550
• 负责人: Robert Svoboda
• 金额: $ 439.6万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-10-01 至 2015-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0919550&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Design; Megaton; Scale; Water; Cerenkov

This proposal, from the University of California at Davis, requests funds for a three year planning effort that will culminate in a Preliminary Design for a megaton scale water Cherenkov detector at DUSEL and a Near Detector at Fermilab. The last decade has been one of rapid progress in the field of neutrino physics and astrophysics. Neutrino flavor oscillations have been discovered, implying that the mass of the neutrino is non zero and that the mass and flavor states are mixed. Several precision measurements of the mixing parameters have been made or are now in progress, and a new generation of experiments designed to measure the unknown mixing angle theta-13 are now under construction. The neutrino spectrum from the sun has been measured for 8B and 7Be neutrinos, and radiochemical experiments have measured the integral solar neutrino flux including the pp reaction. To build upon these discoveries, the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) in 2007-08. in a report endorsed by HEPAP, called for a new neutrino initiative in the U.S. as part of a three pronged program in particle physics over the next decade. The flagship of this initiative would be an intense neutrino beam from Fermilab to a large detector at the DUSEL in South Dakota. This award, through a Cooperative Agreement with the University of California at Davis, would fund much of the university-based component of this effort, although the proposal also describes the entire planning effort including tasks that will be done at collaborating US national labs and or collaborating European institutions. Major tasks to be funded by this proposal are: Preliminary design for a Containment Vessel and associated infrastructure. This includes funding for establishment of a liaison group of physics and engineers to coordinate this planning effort with the existing DUSEL S3 organization. Development of detector simulations and analysis tools to address crucial design questions on detector optimization, including photomultiplier coverage and pixelization, veto requirements, calibration specifications, and energy threshold and resolution. Testing and characterization of photomultiplier tubes, including new models with high QE. This will include investigation of the use of light concentrators and waveshifter plates. Preliminary design of a water system, including support for a practical design of a system that could handle loading the water with gadolinium to allow detection of neutrons. Preliminary design for electronics, high voltage, and DAQ systems. The scientific goals of the proposed facility are broad, cutting across several disciplines, including stellar astrophysics, solar physics, and geotechnical and electrical engineering. This award will fund four international workshops on the science goals and engineering design of the detector, and will also support formulation of an Education and Outreach Plan in collaboration with the DUSEL S3 organization through LBL

加州大学戴维斯分校的这项提案要求为三年的规划工作提供资金，最终将在杜塞尔和费米拉实验室分别初步设计一个百万吨级的切伦科夫探测器和一个近距离探测器。过去的十年是中微子物理和天体物理领域快速发展的十年之一。已经发现了中微子的味道振荡，这意味着中微子的质量不为零，质量和味道状态是混合的。已经或正在进行对混合参数的几次精密测量，设计用于测量未知混合角theta-13的新一代实验正在进行中。测量了8B中微子和7Be中微子的太阳中微子谱，并通过放化实验测量了包括pp反应在内的太阳中微子积分通量。为了在这些发现的基础上再接再厉，粒子物理项目优先小组(P5)在2007-08年间。在HEPAP支持的一份报告中，他呼吁在美国启动一项新的中微子计划，作为未来十年粒子物理三管齐下计划的一部分。这项计划的旗舰将是从费米实验室向南达科他州杜塞尔的一个大型探测器发出的强烈中微子光束。通过与加州大学戴维斯分校的一项合作协议，这项奖励将为这一努力的大部分基于大学的部分提供资金，尽管该提案还描述了整个规划努力，包括将在合作的美国国家实验室和/或合作的欧洲机构完成的任务。这项提议将资助的主要任务是：安全壳和相关基础设施的初步设计。这包括为建立一个由物理和工程师组成的联络小组提供资金，以便与现有的Dusel S3组织协调这项规划工作。开发探测器模拟和分析工具，以解决探测器优化的关键设计问题，包括光电倍增管覆盖和像素化、否决权要求、校准规范以及能量阈值和分辨率。光电倍增管的测试和表征，包括高QE的新型号。这将包括调查聚光器和移波板的使用情况。水系统的初步设计，包括支持一个实际设计的系统，该系统可以处理向水中装入Gd以允许探测中子的问题。电子、高压和DAQ系统的初步设计。拟议中的设施的科学目标是广泛的，涉及几个学科，包括恒星天体物理、太阳物理以及岩土工程和电气工程。该奖项将资助四个关于探测器科学目标和工程设计的国际讲习班，还将支持通过LBL与Dusel S3组织合作制定教育和外联计划