The Measurement of Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Warwick
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
A study to investigate improving our knowledge of neutrino-nucleus interactions in order to reduce the current level of systematic uncertainty that this process contributes to the extraction of neutrino oscillation parameters from long baseline oscillation experiments. The project will centre on the study of a High Pressure Time Projection Chamber prototype to be built as part of a PRD grant held together with IC and RHUL. The initial focus will be on developing further the software already in place to efficiently associate together the energy deposits laid down by the passage of charged particles through the detector (pattern recognition). In the later years of the project, the prototype will be used to take data in a test beam at CERN which will enable a quantitative test of the software performance and will lead onto a cross section measurement of protons with argon. This will represent a valuable and high profile contribution to the field.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Steven Boyd (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Sammy Valder (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST/N504506/1 | 01/10/2015 | 31/03/2021 | |||
| 1763211 | Studentship | ST/N504506/1 | 03/10/2016 | 31/05/2020 | Sammy Valder |
| Description | High Pressure Time Projection Chamber Prototype Research and Development |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have developed the software framework used for track reconstruction inside of the time projection chamber, particularly relating to the HPTPC detector. I have also worked on developing the event framework software and was involved in the test beam shifts at CERN. |
| Collaborator Contribution | My partners have built the prototype detector and worked on the test beam in CERN. Furthermore they have provided me with expertise on issues relating to the detector and how this affects the software framework I have been developing. |
| Impact | The detector successfully underwent a test beam in CERN. This was a major milestone in developing the full detector and it's potential uses as a near detector in future generation neutrino experiments. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | High Pressure Time Projection Chamber Prototype Research and Development |
| Organisation | Lancaster University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have developed the software framework used for track reconstruction inside of the time projection chamber, particularly relating to the HPTPC detector. I have also worked on developing the event framework software and was involved in the test beam shifts at CERN. |
| Collaborator Contribution | My partners have built the prototype detector and worked on the test beam in CERN. Furthermore they have provided me with expertise on issues relating to the detector and how this affects the software framework I have been developing. |
| Impact | The detector successfully underwent a test beam in CERN. This was a major milestone in developing the full detector and it's potential uses as a near detector in future generation neutrino experiments. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | High Pressure Time Projection Chamber Prototype Research and Development |
| Organisation | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Department | Department of Physics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have developed the software framework used for track reconstruction inside of the time projection chamber, particularly relating to the HPTPC detector. I have also worked on developing the event framework software and was involved in the test beam shifts at CERN. |
| Collaborator Contribution | My partners have built the prototype detector and worked on the test beam in CERN. Furthermore they have provided me with expertise on issues relating to the detector and how this affects the software framework I have been developing. |
| Impact | The detector successfully underwent a test beam in CERN. This was a major milestone in developing the full detector and it's potential uses as a near detector in future generation neutrino experiments. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | High Pressure Time Projection Chamber Prototype Research and Development |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have developed the software framework used for track reconstruction inside of the time projection chamber, particularly relating to the HPTPC detector. I have also worked on developing the event framework software and was involved in the test beam shifts at CERN. |
| Collaborator Contribution | My partners have built the prototype detector and worked on the test beam in CERN. Furthermore they have provided me with expertise on issues relating to the detector and how this affects the software framework I have been developing. |
| Impact | The detector successfully underwent a test beam in CERN. This was a major milestone in developing the full detector and it's potential uses as a near detector in future generation neutrino experiments. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Hyper-Kamiokande |
| Organisation | Hyper-Kamiokande |
| Country | Global |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | I have been involved in a team that has researched, designed and produced optical calibration for the proposed hyper-kamiokande experiment. This is a research and development programme that is still ongoing. I have in particular been the main experimentor and contact for the optical diffuser production. Optical diffusers are my expertise here. |
| Collaborator Contribution | My partners have helped in the training with the experimental setup. Furthermore, they help provide me with expertise and guidance in the path of our research and development programme. My partners are also key in developing the mechanisms for the deployment as well as the design of optical collimation, a subject I have some research input in, but is not my focus of study. |
| Impact | The optical calibration equipment has been successfully installed inside of the Super-Kamiokande (a sister experiment, the forerunner to Hyper-Kamiokande). This was a major milestone in the development of optical calibration equipment. For more general physics goals and outcomes for the whole collaboration please see: http://www.hyperk.org/ |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | T2K |
| Organisation | T2K Collaboration |
| Country | Global |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have completed service tasks and on-site shifts for the experiment. Furthermore I am undergoing a physics neutrino-nucleus cross-section analysis using data from the near detector ND280. I also attend regular meetings discussing collaborative work, as well as international collaboration meetings. My expertise lies in electron neutrino interactions in the near detector, in particular in the production of positive pions. |
| Collaborator Contribution | My collaborative partners have aided the results of my research mainly by providing expertise on the topics in question. We attend regular online meetings in which expertise and advice can be transferred amongst the collaboration - this aids progress in my research. Furthermore the formal structure of event framework and analysis code was already implemeted for me to adapt to my own research. |
| Impact | Specific outcomes of my personal involvement in the collaboration are ongoing. For a more large-scale general overview of the collaborations research objectives and milestones, please see https://www.t2k.org/docs/pub. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Volunteered at the Royal Society Festival of Science on behalf of the Hyper-Kamiokande collaboration |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A stall called "Ghosts of the Universe" on behalf of the Hyper-Kamiokande collaboration. We engaged with the general public about neutrino research with various elements such as video games, model detectors and virtual reality headsets. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2018/summer-science-exhibition/exhibits/ghosts-... |