Precision Studies of Neutrino Interactions and Neutrino Mixing

中微子扇区中电荷宇称（CP）破坏的可能性可能对理解宇宙的演化和物质主导地位至关重要。中微子振荡是基本的兴趣，探索亚原子和宇宙尺度的新现象。威廉和玛丽粒子物理小组在费米实验室的中微子项目上投入了大量资金，并积极参与MINOS、MINERvA和NOvA实验。虽然MINOS的数据采集阶段将在短期内结束，但这项资助的第一年将继续进行分析。MINOS将对中微子物理学中引人注目的问题做出最后的陈述，例如研究介子中微子到电子中微子的转变，中微子振荡参数的值，以及无菌中微子的存在。随着这些测量的统计精度的提高，MINOS的最终精度，其他当前实验，以及未来实验的优化设计，都受到对中微子相互作用理解不足的阻碍。威廉和玛丽小组将继续利用其在MINERvA上的投资来测量广泛能量范围内的中微子反应。此外，威廉和玛丽集团在中国扮演了重要角色。A，下一代实验旨在研究介子中微子到电子中微子的转变。从大亚湾实验中得到的潜在的大值ta_13的迹象表明，新星物理计划确实会很丰富，也许能够解决中微子的质量层次。最后，威廉和玛丽小组将利用在新星时代运行MINOS探测器的机会。新束流结构中的中微子通量将在振荡最大值以上的能量处达到峰值，但高速率将使振荡概率的能量依赖性的敏感研究成为可能。在更广泛的影响方面，威廉玛丽学院致力于让本科生参与研究，将其作为教育的重要组成部分。该小组的计划为本科生提供夏季研究机会，并使高级研究论文主题成为可能。除了促进科学教育，该组织还将在当地一所小学组织一个新兴学者项目。该项目将于2012年冬季首次亮相，并将包括每周10次的课后活动。课后项目的一个内在目标是让历史上代表性不足的社区的学生接触科学、实践物理学家和令人兴奋的科学活动。该项目将与威廉斯堡-詹姆斯市县学校的资优学生协调员合作开发，专家将根据与学生后续讨论的反馈和会议观察的笔记进行评估。

The possibility of charge parity (CP) violation in the neutrino sector may be crucial to understanding the evolution and matter dominance of the Universe. Neutrino oscillations are of fundamental interest, probing new phenomena at both subatomic and cosmological scales. The William and Mary particle physics group is heavily invested in the neutrino program at Fermilab, and active on MINOS, MINERvA, and NOvA experiments. While the data taking phase of MINOS will come to a close in the near term, analysis will continue for the first year of this grant. MINOS will make a final statement on compelling problems in neutrino physics, such as thesearch for muon neutrino to electron neutrino transitions, the value of the neutrino oscillation parameters, and the existence of sterile neutrinos. As the statistical precision of these measurements improves, the ultimate precision of MINOS, other current experiments, and the optimal design of future experiments, is hampered by the poor understanding of neutrino interactions. The William and Mary group will continue to exploit its investment in MINERvA to measure neutrino reactions across a wide energy range. Furthermore, the William and Mary group has adopted a strong role in NOνA, the next generation experiment designed to study muon neutrino to electron neutrino transitions. Indications of a potentially large value of theta_13 from the Daya Bay Experiment imply that the NOvA physics program will indeed be rich, perhaps able to resolve the neutrino mass hierarchy. Finally, the William and Mary group will capitalize on the opportunity to run the MINOS detectors in the NOvA era. The neutrino flux in the new beam configuration will peak at energies above the oscillation maximum, but the high rates will enable sensitive studies of the energy dependence of the oscillation probability.On broader impacts, William and Mary is committed to engaging undergraduates in research as a vital component of their education. The group's program provides summer research opportunities for undergraduates and enables senior research thesis topics. Beyond promoting science education, the group will team-teach an Emerging Scholars program at a local elementary school. The debut of this program will be in winter 2012 and will consist of ten weekly after-school sessions. An inherent goal of the after-school program is to expose students from historically underrepresented communities to the sciences and to practicing physicists and exciting science activities. The program will be developed in collaboration with the Coordinator for Gifted and Talented Students of the Williamsburg-James City County schools, and specialists will base assessment on feedback from follow-up discussions with the students and notes from in-session observations.