Experiment to investigate anti. nu. /sub. mu. /. -->. anti. nu. /sub e/ oscillations at Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6835755

Kruse, H W; Toevs, J W

An experiment, being planned at LAMPF, aims to investigate a possible neutrino oscillation channel, anti ..nu../sub ..mu../ ..-->.. anti ..nu../sub e/. If anti ..nu../sub ..mu../, produced in the LAMPF beam stop, oscillate to anti ..nu../sub e/, then interactions anti ..nu../sub e/ + p ..-->.. e/sup +/ + n, may be detected. A large volume liquid scintillator (4470 liter) emplaced at 33 m from the beam stop, detects e/sup +/ and n, after moderation in the hydrogenous liquid and capture in Gd, loaded into the scintillator. Our anticipated signal rate is currently estimated at 1.67 (sigma m/sup 2/)/sup 2//day assuming full amplitude oscillation. The corresponding counting rate, assuming all anti ..nu../sub ..mu../ have oscillated to anti ..nu../sub e/ at the detector is 1.5/day. Cosmic rates are estimated at 0.033/day. Correlated backgrounds from the beam stop are calculated to be small in comparison to cosmic events, except for reactions of ..nu../sub e/ in Pb. These reactions may be reduced with an Fe shield within the detector. With the above rate, a limit on the sensitivity of our experiment for the value of sigma m/sup 2/ is estimated at 0.12 eV/sup 2/ with 70 days of counting. Detector features, estimated background rates, and sensitivity values are discussed.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6835755
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-81-205; CONF-810115-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645103* -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Experimental-- Strong Interactions & Baryon & Meson Properties
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ACCELERATORS
ELECTRON NEUTRINOS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
EXPERIMENT PLANNING
FERMIONS
GEV RANGE
GEV RANGE 01-10
LAMPF LINAC
LEPTONS
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
LIQUID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEASURING METHODS
MESON FACTORIES
MUON NEUTRINOS
NEUTRINOS
OSCILLATIONS
PLANNING
RADIATION DETECTORS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS