Neutrino Factory
Encyclopedia
The Neutrino Factory is a proposed particle accelerator
complex intended to measure in detail the properties of neutrinos, which are extremely weakly interacting fundamental particles that can travel in straight lines through normal matter for thousands of kilometres. Up until the 1990s, neutrinos were assumed to be massless, but inconsistent experimental results from searches for solar neutrinos (those produced in the Sun
's core) and others, indicated that the neutrino does in fact have a very small mass (see Solar neutrino problem
).
and fire it downwards, probably in two beams emitted in different directions from a racetrack shaped underground muon
storage ring, until the beams resurface at other points. One example could be a complex in the UK
sending beams to Japan
(see Super-Kamiokande
) and Italy
(LNGS
). The properties of the neutrinos will be examined at the remote sites to determine how neutrinos evolve over time. This will provide information about their masses and weak interaction
properties.
The project is currently in the conceptual design stage. An international "Scoping Study" was completed in 2007 and an international effort to write a design report has now begun.
Many new technologies are being pioneered for this experiment, including the use of liquid metal jets as a pion production target, under test in the MERIT experiment, the use of Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFAG) accelerators, under test in the EMMA experiment, and liquid hydrogen energy reduction cavities
for reducing the divergence in the muon beam during the intermediate stages.
(operations start 2007) or ILC
(in design phase) experiments.
. Activities in Europe
continue with meetings and involvement in international experiments and collaborations.
s.
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
complex intended to measure in detail the properties of neutrinos, which are extremely weakly interacting fundamental particles that can travel in straight lines through normal matter for thousands of kilometres. Up until the 1990s, neutrinos were assumed to be massless, but inconsistent experimental results from searches for solar neutrinos (those produced in the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
's core) and others, indicated that the neutrino does in fact have a very small mass (see Solar neutrino problem
Solar neutrino problem
The solar neutrino problem was a major discrepancy between measurements of the numbers of neutrinos flowing through the Earth and theoretical models of the solar interior, lasting from the mid-1960s to about 2002...
).
Function
The Neutrino Factory will create a fairly focused beam of neutrinos at one site on the EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and fire it downwards, probably in two beams emitted in different directions from a racetrack shaped underground muon
Muon
The muon |mu]] used to represent it) is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with a unitary negative electric charge and a spin of ½. Together with the electron, the tau, and the three neutrinos, it is classified as a lepton...
storage ring, until the beams resurface at other points. One example could be a complex in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sending beams to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(see Super-Kamiokande
Super-Kamiokande
Super-Kamiokande is a neutrino observatory which is under Mount Kamioka near the city of Hida, Gifu Prefecture, Japan...
) and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(LNGS
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso is a particle physics laboratory of the INFN, situated near the Gran Sasso mountain in Italy, between the towns of L'Aquila and Teramo, about 120 km from Rome. In addition to a surface portion of the laboratory, there are extensive underground facilities...
). The properties of the neutrinos will be examined at the remote sites to determine how neutrinos evolve over time. This will provide information about their masses and weak interaction
Weak interaction
Weak interaction , is one of the four fundamental forces of nature, alongside the strong nuclear force, electromagnetism, and gravity. It is responsible for the radioactive decay of subatomic particles and initiates the process known as hydrogen fusion in stars...
properties.
The project is currently in the conceptual design stage. An international "Scoping Study" was completed in 2007 and an international effort to write a design report has now begun.
Many new technologies are being pioneered for this experiment, including the use of liquid metal jets as a pion production target, under test in the MERIT experiment, the use of Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFAG) accelerators, under test in the EMMA experiment, and liquid hydrogen energy reduction cavities
MICE
-Fiction:*Mice , alien species in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*The Mice -Acronyms:* "Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions", facilities terminology for events...
for reducing the divergence in the muon beam during the intermediate stages.
International Design Study
The International Design Study seeks to present a design report for the Neutrino Factory that details the physics performance, schedule and costs by 2012. The study will include contributions from all regions in a combined Reference Design Report.US Muon Collider collaboration
A "much more complete" effort from the USA, including the "Feasibility Studies", which are the most detailed engineering studies yet done (as of 2005). The Muon Collider is a project even more ambitious than the Neutrino Factory, using the unstable intermediate particles (muons) that produce neutrinos as the input to a very high-energy collider ring, aiming to reach higher concentrations of energy than even the LHCLarge Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature....
(operations start 2007) or ILC
International Linear Collider
The International Linear Collider is a proposed linear particle accelerator. It is planned to have a collision energy of 500 GeV initially, and, if approved after the project has published its Technical Design Report, planned for 2012, could be completed in the late 2010s. A later upgrade to 1000...
(in design phase) experiments.
European Neutrino Group
CERN did a design study a few years ago, before effort moved onto the LHCLarge Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature....
. Activities in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
continue with meetings and involvement in international experiments and collaborations.
Japanese design
This is based on an unusual type of accelerator called an FFAG that combines elements from the cyclotrons of the 1950s with modern automated magnet design processes, and new magnetic alloy radiofrequency accelerating gaps. The main advantage of these is that the magnetic fields are fixed and do not have to be synchronised to the beam in any way, yet the beam naturally moves into regions of higher field as its energy increases, allowing for very rapid acceleration without the difficulties found in very rapid-cycling synchrotronSynchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field and the electric field are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam. The proton synchrotron was originally conceived by Sir Marcus Oliphant...
s.
Other links & projects
- International Muon Ionization Cooling ExperimentInternational Muon Ionization Cooling ExperimentThe International Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment is a high energy physics experiment dedicated to observing ionization cooling of muons for the first time. This is a process where by the beam emittance of a beam is reduced in order to reduce the beam size, so that more muons can be accelerated...
- https://www.ids-nf.org/wiki/FrontPage/GeneralInfo