Minutes from 6/21/00 Oscillations Measurements Working Group Meeting

Last modified: Wed Jun 21 14:28:27 CDT 2000 Oscillation Measurements Working Group Minutes

Attendees:
Bob Bernstein
Steve Geer
Debbie Harris
Mario Campanelli (by phone)
Colin Jessop (by phone)
Fritz DeJongh
Heidi Schellman
Ray Stefanksi

Announcements
Next Meeting of this group: July 5, 2000 9:30AM
Don't forget NNN00 Workshop at Fermilab: Aug 7&8

Comparison between Conventional and Neutrino Factory beam
One Question that is often asked about the neutrino factory is: How does a neutrino factory compare to a conventional beam with an upgraded proton source and an upgraded detector?

To answer that question we need to start comparing first of all nu_mu to nu_e event rates at a conventional beam to nu_e to nu_mu event rates at a neutrino factory: Heidi Schellman presented calculations for scenario IaI comparing a MINOS beam x4 in intensity, for a 10kton detector at 2800km from source:

Note that High energy MINOS beam x4 is comparable in event rates to a 20GeV neutrino factory beam. The next step is to look at backgrounds and signal acceptance for different detectors (and different distances). This exercise should also be done for the CERN to Gran Sasso beam, with an understanding of what the maximum upgrade to that beam could be. With no other fixed target beam running, Mario states that the rate could be increased by a factor of 2.

What's next for the Study?
The question of a conventional beam has been suggested as an addendum to the original 6 month study, which hopefully can be completed on a short time period. But the longer term goals of the group are to produce some sort of follow-up document to the initial study. Some of the questions to be addressed in the follow-up study are: Flux Uncertainties, How far below ground do specific detectors need to be, how much do these detectors really cost vs FIDUCIAL ktonnage, etc., and how well can a water cernkov detector really do for high energies? Bob Bernstein has written an outline for the organization of this next study, with the understanding that it be completed by NuFact01. That outline is here.

On the subject of flux uncertainties, there is a CERN workshop on muon storage ring instrumentation organized by Alain Blondel this summer, and a similar workshop planned for Chicago in the fall. Hopefully the expected flux uncertainties coming from limits in beam instrumentation will be better understood after these workshops.

Goals for the next meeting:
Mario: Compare backgrounds to $\nu_e$ appearance in CNGS beam x4 in 10kTon ICANOE detector for scenario IAI signal, before and after cuts to remove backgrounds, for 3000km and/or 7000km baselines.
Fritz: Look at $\pi^0$ production backgrounds in MINOS beam x4
Debbie: Figure out realistic CERN proton driver upgrade possibilities