skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: The Hybrid Emulsion Detector for MINOS R&D Proposal

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/993206· OSTI ID:993206

The MINOS (Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search) experiment is designed to search for neutrino oscillations with a sensitivity significantly greater than has been achieved to date. The phenomenon of neutrino oscillations, whose existence has not been proven convincingly so far, allows neutrinos of one "flavor" (type) to slowly transform themselves into another flavor, and then back again to the original flavor, as they propagate through space or matter. The MINOS experiment is optimized to explore the region of neutrino oscillation "parameter space" suggested by previous investigations of atmospheric neutrinos: the Kamiokande, IMB, Super-Kamiokande and Soudan 2 experiments. The study of oscillations in this region with a neutrino beam from the Main Injector requires measurements of the beam after a very long flight path. This in turn requires an intense neutrino beam and a massive detector in order to have an adequate event rate at a great distance from the source. We propose to enhance significantly the physics capabilities of the MINOS experiment by the addition of a Hybrid Emulsion Detector at Soudan, capable of unambigous identification of the neutrino flavor. Recent developments in emulsion experiments make such a detector possible, although significant technological challenges must be overcome. We propose to initiate an R&D effort to identify major potential problems and to develop practical solutions to them. This proposal is meant to be a summary of the work we feel is needed before a credible conceptual design report can be produced. It summarizes both the tasks that need to be done and new incremental resources that are required to perform them. It is our expectation that various individual institutions (those currently in MINOS and others anticipating joining) will submit separate individual funding requests, to funding agencies in both US and abroad, to provide most of the resources listed in Chapter 5. We intend that the present proposal should serve as a supplementary umbrella document, outlining the scope of the whole program.

Research Organization:
Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Contributing Organization:
The MINOS Collaboration
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-07CH11359
OSTI ID:
993206
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-PROPOSAL-0915
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English