Physics Working Group

International scoping study of a future
Neutrino Factory and super-beam facility

Physics working group

Objectives:

Neutrino oscillations indicate that there are interactions to be discovered which control the degree of mixing between the neutrinos and determine their mass. These interactions may cause the CP symmetry to be violated and so generate a mechanism (leptogenesis) by which the antimatter was removed from the early Universe. Massive neutrinos may also play an important role in the formation of large-scale structures in the Universe. Precision measurements of neutrino oscillations are required to:

Develop a complete description of the properties of the neutrino; and to

Elucidate the interactions that give rise to neutrino mixing and neutrino mass.

Several facilities have been proposed to address these issues: a super-conventional neutrino beam facility; a beta-beam facility; and the Neutrino Factory. The objectives of the Physics working group of the international scoping study of a future Neutrino Factory and super-beam facility are:

Theoretical:

To review the various physical models that have been proposed to explain the properties of the neutrino and devise, where possible, observables by which the models can be distinguished;

To evaluate the impact of measurements of neutrino oscillations on particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology;

Phenomenological:

In the standard three-flavour neutrino-mixing scenario, to evaluate the performance of the super-beam, the beta-beam, and the Neutrino Factory and determine the optimum parameter sets for each of these facilities;

To evaluate the degree to which the super-beam, beta-beam, and Neutrino Factory, alone or in combination, can distinguish between the various models of neutrino mixing and determine optimum parameter sets for these investigations;

Experimental:

Using realistic estimates of the likely performance of the super-beam, beta-beam, and Neutrino Factory accelerator facilities and detectors, to estimate the sensitivity to the CP phase, d, the small mixing angle, q₁₃, and the mass splitting parameter Dm²₂₃;

To estimate the precision with which the parameters that govern standard three-flavour mixing and evaluate the degree to which the super-beam, beta-beam, and Neutrino Factory, alone or in combination, can test the unitarity of the mixing matrix;

To make realistic estimates of the degree to which the super-beam, beta-beam, and Neutrino Factory, alone or in combination, can distinguish between the various models of neutrino mixing.

International scoping study of a future Neutrino Factory and super-beam facility