bridging funds for travel for the CHIPS R&D program

Presently, the cost of neutrino detectors limits their mass. We propose to pioneer a way to utilize a naturally occurring body of water together with a neutrino beam, to provide an affordable, precision neutrino detector. Neutrino CP violation is described by a phase angle, dCP, which is probed by looking for electron neutrinos appearing in a muon neutrino beam. The main challenge is separating electron neutrinos from other background interactions. Water Cherenkov detectors have been demonstrated to work well for this purpose with electron neutrino purities of up to 90%. The CHIPS (Cherenkov detectors In PitS) concept will comprise a light-tight, water-tight PVC bag, filled with pure water, supported by a simple tubular frame and submerged in a deep lake. The lake water will provide the necessary mechanical support and serve as an overburden to shield the detector from cosmic rays. The Photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) mounted on the inside of the frame will detect the Cherenkov light. This concept requires neither a massive mechanical structure nor an underground cavern, two of the dominant expenses associated with traditional neutrino detector designs.

industrial pull on cheaper photon detectors and potential reactor monitoring system