No Arabic abstract
Tremendous progress has been achieved in neutrino oscillation physics during the last few years. However, the smallness of the $t13$ neutrino mixing angle still remains enigmatic. The current best constraint comes from the CHOOZ reactor neutrino experiment $s2t13 < 0.2$ (at 90% C.L., for $adm2=2.0 10^{-3} text{eV}^2$). We propose a new experiment on the same site, Double-CHOOZ, to explore the range of $s2t13$ from 0.2 to 0.03, within three years of data taking. The improvement of the CHOOZ result requires an increase in the statistics, a reduction of the systematic error below one percent, and a careful control of the cosmic ray induced background. Therefore, Double-CHOOZ will use two identical detectors, one at $sim$150 m and another at 1.05 km distance from the nuclear cores. The plan is to start data taking with two detectors in 2008, and to reach a sensitivity of 0.05 in 2009, and 0.03 in 2011.
The Double Chooz Reactor Neutrino Experiment in France plans to quickly measure the neutrino mixing angle theta-13, or limit it to sin^2 2-theta_13 less than 0.025. The physics reach, experimental site, detector structures, scintillator, photodetection, electronics, calibration and simulations are described. The possibility of using Double Chooz to explore the possible use of a antineutrino detector for non-proliferation goals is also presented.
The Double Chooz experiment presents improved measurements of the neutrino mixing angle $theta_{13}$ using the data collected in 467.90 live days from a detector positioned at an average distance of 1050 m from two reactor cores at the Chooz nuclear power plant. Several novel techniques have been developed to achieve significant reductions of the backgrounds and systematic uncertainties with respect to previous publications, whereas the efficiency of the $bar u_{e}$ signal has increased. The value of $theta_{13}$ is measured to be $sin^{2}2theta_{13} = 0.090 ^{+0.032}_{-0.029}$ from a fit to the observed energy spectrum. Deviations from the reactor $bar u_{e}$ prediction observed above a prompt signal energy of 4 MeV and possible explanations are also reported. A consistent value of $theta_{13}$ is obtained from a fit to the observed rate as a function of the reactor power independently of the spectrum shape and background estimation, demonstrating the robustness of the $theta_{13}$ measurement despite the observed distortion.
We present a search for signatures of neutrino mixing of electron anti-neutrinos with additional hypothetical sterile neutrino flavors using the Double Chooz experiment. The search is based on data from 5 years of operation of Double Chooz, including 2 years in the two-detector configuration. The analysis is based on a profile likelihood, i.e. comparing the data to the model prediction of disappearance in a data-to-data comparison of the two respective detectors. The analysis is optimized for a model of three active and one sterile neutrino. It is sensitive in the typical mass range $5 cdot 10^{-3} $ eV$^2 lesssim Delta m^2_{41} lesssim 3cdot 10^{-1} $ eV$^2$ for mixing angles down to $sin^2 2theta_{14} gtrsim 0.02$. No significant disappearance additionally to the conventional disappearance related to $theta_{13} $ is observed and correspondingly exclusion bounds on the sterile mixing parameter $theta_{14} $ as function of $ Delta m^2_{41} $ are obtained.
FASER is a proposed small and inexpensive experiment designed to search for light, weakly-interacting particles at the LHC. Such particles are dominantly produced along the beam collision axis and may be long-lived, traveling hundreds of meters before decaying. To exploit both of these properties, FASER is to be located along the beam collision axis, 480 m downstream from the ATLAS interaction point, in the unused service tunnel TI18. We propose that FASER be installed in TI18 in Long Shutdown 2 in time to collect data from 2021-23 during Run 3 of the 14 TeV LHC. FASER will detect new particles that decay within a cylindrical volume with radius R= 10 cm and length L = 1.5 m. With these small dimensions, FASER will complement the LHCs existing physics program, extending its discovery potential to a host of new particles, including dark photons, axion-like particles, and other CP-odd scalars. A FLUKA simulation and analytical estimates have confirmed that numerous potential backgrounds are highly suppressed at the FASER location, and the first in situ measurements are currently underway. We describe FASERs location and discovery potential, its target signals and backgrounds, the detectors layout and components, and the experiments preliminary cost estimate, funding, and timeline.
We renew our intent to submit a proposal to perform a search for a non-zero value of the unmeasured hadronic double helicity flip structure function $Delta(x,Q^2)$, predicted to be sensitive to gluons in the nucleus. This would be performed with an unpolarized electron beam and transversely polarized, spin-1, nuclear target. This structure function was first identified by Jaffe and Manohar in 1989 as a clear signature for exotic gluonic components in the target, and a recent lattice QCD result by our collaborators has prompted renewed interest in the topic. An inclusive search with deep inelastic scattering, below $x$ of 0.3, via single spin tensor asymmetries may be feasible using the CEBAF 12 GeV electron beam and JLab/UVa solid polarized target, and would represent the first experimental exploration of this quantity.