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.

中微子具有质量并可以改变味道，这一事实对我们对宇宙的理解有着深刻的影响：从星系如何进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实验室到达距离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任何差异，以寻找物质-反物质的差异。为了在这项测量上取得进展，实验必须减少它的系统不确定度。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理解不完全有关。该计划的短期目标是：1.改进T2K用来模拟中微子相互作用的中微子事件发生器。这个模型是目前最先进的，沙丘实验正在使用一个版本。2.利用T2K近探测器进行截面测量，重点研究产生介子的中微子相互作用。这些测量将是当前和下一代实验的关键。通过使用T2K和NOVA对关节配合进行工作来扩展T2K的覆盖范围，这是美国的一个类似实验。由于两者的统计精度，系统效应中相关性的处理是至关重要的。我将与现有的约克小组合作，测量相干的介子产量，并维护T2K的光学跃迁监视器，为2021年安装新的OTR做准备。这是一份过渡性拨款申请，用于支持哈里斯的研究计划两年，直到2021年T2K-加拿大项目拨款续期。2019年7月，哈里斯开始在约克大学担任教授，并被T2K协作录取。拟议的T2K研究计划将利用哈里斯在中微子光束线以及中微子相互作用测量和建模方面的经验，扩大加拿大在实验中已经发挥的重要作用。这项提案要求提供50%的资金支持一名博士后和两名研究生(罗文·扎基和达曼迪普·考尔)，也是50%。但这项工作的影响将远远超出T2K实验的影响。产生的中微子相互作用测量和模型改进将作为目前和未来其他中微子传播实验的输入。光学跃迁监测器是未来高功率质子束测量的一种很有前途的技术。最后，这里支持的小组将学习模拟技术、统计学、在复杂软件环境中的编码、数据分析，以及在大型国际合作中工作。无论他们下一步采取什么步骤，这都将很好地服务于该集团。