Bridging grant application for T2K/-Canada: Improved measurements of neutrino oscillations and interactions

T2K/-加拿大的过渡拨款申请：改进中微子振荡和相互作用的测量

• 批准号: SAPPJ-2020-00040
• 负责人: Harris, Deborah
• 金额: $ 5.1万
• 依托单位: York University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Subatomic Physics Envelope - Project
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=741395
• 关键词: Bridging; grant; application; T2K; Canada

The fact that neutrinos have mass and can change flavors has a profound impact on our understanding of the universe: from how galaxies evolved to why today there is only matter and no antimatter. To learn more about this phenomenon, the T2K experiment measures how neutrinos can change flavors when they travel from the J-PARC laboratory in Tokai Japan to the Super-Kamiokande detector in Toyama, a distance of 295km. The long-term goal of T2K is to measure precisely any difference between neutrino and antineutrino propagation to search for matter-antimatter differences. To make progress on this measurement the experiment must reduce its systematic uncertainties.  The most important uncertainties today have to do with our incomplete understanding of how neutrinos interact with the nuclei in T2K's detectors. The short term-goals of this program are: 1. Work to improve the neutrino event generator that T2K uses to simulate neutrino interactions. This model is currently the state of the art, and a version is in use by the DUNE experiment. 2. Make cross section measurements with the T2K Near Detector, focusing on neutrino interactions that produce pions.  These measurements will be key for both the current and next generation experiments.   3. Extend the reach of T2K by working on the joint fits using both T2K and NOvA, a similar experiment based in the US. Because of the statistical precision of both, the treatment of the correlations in systematic effects is crucial.   4.  Work with the existing York group to measure coherent pion production and to maintain the Optical Transition Monitor for T2K, in preparation for the new OTR installation in 2021. This is an application for a bridging grant to support Harris's research program for two years, until the renewal of the T2K-Canada Project Grant in 2021. In July 2019 Harris started as a Professor at York University and was admitted to the T2K collaboration. The proposed research program on T2K will expand the important role that Canada already plays in the experiment by leveraging Harris's experience with neutrino beamlines and with neutrino interaction measurements and modeling. This proposal requests funding to support a postdoc at 50% and two graduate students (Rowan Zaki and Damandeep Kaur), also at 50%.     The impact of this work will extend far beyond that of the T2K experiment. The neutrino interaction measurements and model improvements produced will be inputs to other current and future neutrino propagation experiments. The Optical Transition Monitor is a promising technology for future high power proton beam measurements. Finally, the group supported here will learn simulation techniques, statistics, coding in a complex software environment, data analysis, and working in large international collaborations. This will serve the group well in whatever steps they take next.

中微子具有质量并且可以改变味道，这一事实对我们对宇宙的理解产生了深远的影响：从星系如何演化到为什么今天只有物质而没有反物质。为了更多地了解这一现象，T2K 实验测量了中微子从日本东海的 J-PARC 实验室传播到距离 295 公里的富山超级神冈探测器时如何改变味道。 T2K 的长期目标是精确测量中微子和反中微子传播之间的差异，以寻找物质与反物质的差异。为了在这种测量方面取得进展，实验必须减少其系统不确定性。  今天最重要的不确定性与我们对中微子如何与 T2K 探测器中的原子核相互作用的不完全了解有关。该计划的短期目标是： 1. 致力于改进 T2K 用于模拟中微子相互作用的中微子事件发生器。该模型是目前最先进的模型，DUNE 实验正在使用一个版本。 2. 使用 T2K 近探测器进行横截面测量，重点关注产生 π 介子的中微子相互作用。  这些测量对于当前和下一代实验都至关重要。   3. 通过使用 T2K 和 NOvA（在美国进行的类似实验）进行关节配合来扩展 T2K 的范围。由于两者的统计精度，系统效应相关性的处理至关重要。   4. 与现有的约克小组合作，测量相干π介子产生并维护 T2K 的光跃迁监视器，为 2021 年新的 OTR 安装做准备。这是一份过渡性拨款申请，用于支持 Harris 的研究计划两年，直到 2021 年更新 T2K-加拿大项目拨款。2019 年 7 月，Harris 开始在约克大学担任教授，并被接纳为 T2K 合作项目。拟议的 T2K 研究计划将利用哈里斯在中微子束线以及中微子相互作用测量和建模方面的经验，扩大加拿大在该实验中已经发挥的重要作用。该提案要求提供 50% 的资金来支持一名博士后和两名研究生（Rowan Zaki 和 Damandeep Kaur），同样为 50%。     这项工作的影响将远远超出 T2K 实验的范围。所产生的中微子相互作用测量和模型改进将成为当前和未来其他中微子传播实验的输入。光跃迁监测器是未来高功率质子束测量的一项有前途的技术。最后，这里支持的小组将学习模拟技术、统计、复杂软件环境中的编码、数据分析以及大型国际合作中的工作。这将对团队下一步采取的任何步骤都有好处。