EAPSI: Reducing Uncertainty in the Simulation of the T2K Neutrino Particle Beam

目前，人们对中微子物理学知之甚少。这个项目试图通过T2K(东海到神冈)实验来提高我们对这些基本粒子的理解，从而精确地测量中微子的性质。中微子是通过将一束质子加速到高能，然后将它们与目标碰撞而产生的。T2K的测量取决于这种质子束的性质以及它与目标的相互作用方式。通过物理测量和计算机模拟研究了该光束的特性。这些模拟对于预测和评估质子束的观测行为是很重要的。该项目将通过纳入模拟技术的新进展来提高精度，并通过纳入其他实验收集的新物理数据来提高精度，从而改进T2K实验的中微子束模拟。这些改进将提高T2K实验测量的准确性。这项研究将与日本高能加速器研究组织(KEK)的T2K束流小组组长Tetsuro Sekiguchi博士合作进行。目前，T2K中微子束模拟是使用FLUKA和GEANT蒙特卡罗模拟包的定制框架建立的。该项目的一部分将涉及将波束模拟移植到更新版本的GEANT上，然后测试和验证其性能。中微子束模拟的性能是根据实验数据进行调整和检查的，当有新的和更精确的数据集可用时，需要更新实验数据。来自NA61/SIRE实验的最新数据集已经可用，并将用于这一目的。最后，这个项目将涉及计算两个T2K近探测器之间新的相关系统不确定度，以允许T2K对中微子进行新的、更精确的测量。该奖项由东亚和太平洋夏季学院计划资助一名美国研究生的夏季研究，由NSF和日本科学促进会共同资助。

Neutrino physics are poorly understood currently. This project seeks to enhance our understanding of these fundamental particles using the T2K (Tokai to Kamioka) experiment to make precise measurements of neutrino properties. Neutrinos are produced by accelerating a beam of protons to high energies and then colliding them with a target. The T2K measurements depend on the properties of this proton beam and how it interacts with a target. The properties of the beam are studied with physical measurements and computer simulation. These simulations are important for predicting and assessing the observed behavior of the proton beam. This project will improve neutrino beam simulations for the T2K experiment by incorporating new advancements in simulation technology to improve accuracy, and by incorporating new physics data collected by other experiments to improve precision. These improvements will enhance the accuracy of the measurements made by the T2K experiment. This research will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Tetsuro Sekiguchi, the leader of the T2K beam group, of the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) in Japan.The T2K neutrino beam simulation currently is built using a custom framework utilizing the FLUKA and GEANT Monte Carlo simulation packages. Part of this project will involve migrating the beam simulation to an updated version of GEANT and then testing and validating its performance. The performance of the neutrino beam simulation is tuned and checked against experimental data, which needs to be updated when new and more precise data sets are available. Recent data sets from the NA61/SHINE experiment are available and will be used for this purpose. Finally, this project will involve the calculation of new correlated systematic uncertainties between the two T2K near detectors to allow for both new and more precise measurements of neutrinos to be made by T2K.This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.