Prospects for future experiments to search for nucleon decay

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6321586

Ayres, D S; Heller, K; LoSecco, J; Mann, A K; Marciano, W; Shrock, R E; Thornton, R K

We review the status of theoretical expectations and experimental searches for nucleon decay, and predict the sensitivities which could be reached by future experiments. For the immediate future, we concur with the conclusions of the 1982 Summer Workshop on Proton Decay Experiments: all detectors now in operation or construction will be relatively insensitive to some potentially important decay modes. Next-generation experiments must therefore be designed to search for these modes, and should be undertaken whether or not present experiments detect nucleon decay in other modes. These future experiments should be designed to push the lifetime limits on all decay modes to the levels at which irreducible cosmic-ray neutrino-induced backgrounds become important. Since the technology for these next-generation experiments is available now, the timetable for starting work on them will be determined by funding constraints and not by the need for extensive development of detectors. Efforts to develop advanced detector techniques should also be pursued, in order to mount more sensitive searches than can be envisioned using current technology, or to provide the most precise measurements possible of the properties of the nucleon decay interaction if it should occur at a detectable rate.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA); Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis (USA); California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena (USA); Pennsylvania Univ., Philadelphia (USA); Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA); State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook (USA); Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6321586
• Report Number(s): ANL-HEP-CP-82-41; ON: DE83009434
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NUCLEONS
PARTICLE DECAY
PROTONS
LIFETIME
MEASURING METHODS
RADIATION DETECTORS
REVIEWS
BARYONS
DECAY
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HADRONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
645102* - High Energy Physics- Particle Interactions & Properties-Experimental- Weak Interactions & Properties
440104 - Radiation Instrumentation- High Energy Physics Instrumentation