Francesco Terranova (University of Milano-Bicocca and INFN)

A Monitored and Tagged Neutrino Beam at CERN for High-Precision Cross-Section Measurements

Abstract: The poor knowledge of neutrino cross sections at the GeV scale remains one of the leading sources of systematic uncertainty in next-generation oscillation experiments. Building on the ideas and R&D from ENUBET and NuTAG, we present a proposal (see arXiv:2503.21589) for a high-precision, short-baseline neutrino beam that employs neutrino monitoring and tagging. Instrumentation placed along the beamline and inside the decay tunnel enables percent-level flux monitoring and a neutrino energy determination that is independent of final-state particle reconstruction at the neutrino detector. This approach effectively removes the two primary sources of systematic uncertainty in cross-section measurements: flux normalization and energy bias due to nuclear effects. In this seminar, I’ll present the beamline design, proposed instrumentation technologies, results from prototyping efforts, and scenarios for implementation at CERN. I will also highlight the physics potential of such a facility, particularly in the context of cross-section measurements relevant to DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande.