DUNE: Pre-Construction Phase
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The LBNF/DUNE project is a global flagship initiative in high-energy particle physics that addresses key questions on the origin and structure of the universe. The long-baseline neutrino facility (LBNF) will be the world's most intense high-energy neutrino beam. It will fire neutrinos 1300 km from Fermilab in Illinois towards the 70,000 ton DUNE detector in South Dakota in order to study neutrino oscillations. DUNE will be the first large-scale US-hosted
experiment run as a truly international project.
DUNE has broad support from the global particle physics community in the US and Europe and with growing interest in developing countries; DUNE currently is a scientific collaboration of over 950 collaborators from 30 nations, with overall UK leadership.
LBNF/DUNE will undertake a game-changing programme of neutrino physics. Its highest-level scientific goals target big questions in physics:
1) Discovery and measurements of neutrino CP violation. This subtle difference between neutrinos and antineutrinos could be responsible for the remaining matter in the universe;
2) Precision neutrino physics, including the definitive determination of the mass hierarchy;
3) Search for new physics beyond the current understanding of neutrino oscillations;
4) Observation of the electron neutrino burst from a galactic core-collapse supernova, providing a real-time probe of neutron star and possibly black hole formation;
5) Search for proton decay, expected in most models of new physics, but not yet observed.
The UK plans to make a major contribution to the construction of the massive DUNE far detector, through a partnership between UK universities, UK national laboratories and UK industry. In this proposal UK scientists are requesting resources to prototype the production processes for the construction of detector elements for this global scientific project.
experiment run as a truly international project.
DUNE has broad support from the global particle physics community in the US and Europe and with growing interest in developing countries; DUNE currently is a scientific collaboration of over 950 collaborators from 30 nations, with overall UK leadership.
LBNF/DUNE will undertake a game-changing programme of neutrino physics. Its highest-level scientific goals target big questions in physics:
1) Discovery and measurements of neutrino CP violation. This subtle difference between neutrinos and antineutrinos could be responsible for the remaining matter in the universe;
2) Precision neutrino physics, including the definitive determination of the mass hierarchy;
3) Search for new physics beyond the current understanding of neutrino oscillations;
4) Observation of the electron neutrino burst from a galactic core-collapse supernova, providing a real-time probe of neutron star and possibly black hole formation;
5) Search for proton decay, expected in most models of new physics, but not yet observed.
The UK plans to make a major contribution to the construction of the massive DUNE far detector, through a partnership between UK universities, UK national laboratories and UK industry. In this proposal UK scientists are requesting resources to prototype the production processes for the construction of detector elements for this global scientific project.
Planned Impact
see central je-S form submitted by the University of Cambridge
Publications
Abi B
(2021)
Supernova neutrino burst detection with the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment DUNE Collaboration
in The European Physical Journal C
Abi B
(2021)
Supernova neutrino burst detection with the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment DUNE Collaboration
in The European Physical Journal C
Abi B
(2020)
Volume III. DUNE far detector technical coordination
in Journal of Instrumentation
Abi B
(2020)
Volume IV. The DUNE far detector single-phase technology
in Journal of Instrumentation
Abi B
(2020)
Neutrino interaction classification with a convolutional neural network in the DUNE far detector
in Physical Review D
Abi B
(2020)
Long-baseline neutrino oscillation physics potential of the DUNE experiment DUNE Collaboration
in The European Physical Journal C
Abi B
(2021)
Prospects for beyond the Standard Model physics searches at the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment DUNE Collaboration
in The European Physical Journal C
Abi B
(2020)
Volume I. Introduction to DUNE
in Journal of Instrumentation
Abi B
(2020)
First results on ProtoDUNE-SP liquid argon time projection chamber performance from a beam test at the CERN Neutrino Platform
in Journal of Instrumentation
Abi B
(2021)
Prospects for beyond the Standard Model physics searches at the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment: DUNE Collaboration.
in The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields
| Description | Design of the DUNE far detector module Design and construction of the ProtoDUNE |
| Exploitation Route | This paved the way for DUNE construction |
| Sectors | Other |
| Description | Teaching PhD students to operate the LAr experiment, carry out modelling and analyse data |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | Nucleon decay search and cosmic rays in the DUNE experiment |
| Amount | £119,924 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/R006709/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2019 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Title | Monte Carlo modelling of muon events (from 2008) |
| Description | This is the method of simulating and analysing muon events that produce background for rare event search experiments. This method was developed and improved over a number of years as part of various projects and affected the outcomes of these projects. R&D towards new facility at the Boulby Underground Laboratory to host large rare event search experiments DUNE and other neutrino related experiments (Monte Carlo generator for cosmic-ray muons) LZ experiment Muon tomography work |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2008 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Many scientific collaborations are using this method. |
| Description | DUNE Collaboration |
| Organisation | Rutherford Appleton Laboratory |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The DUNE project is a collaboration of more than 10 universities and national laboratories in the UK and more than 200 institutions across the world from more than 50 countries. The Collaboration continues to grow so number of members, institutes and countries is not fixed and changes every year. The DUNE project also includes the ProtoDUNE experiment and is linked to Short-Baseline Near Detector activities at Fermilab. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The whole DUNE Collaboration contributes to DUNE Construction and future exploitation, including ProtoDUNE activities. |
| Impact | The output is the operating ProtoDUNE experiment and associated publications. Another output is the publications by the DUNE Collaboration. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Title | Modified SOURCES4 code (from 2014) |
| Description | The original code SOURCES4 developed at LANL (USA) has been modified to allow more accurate calculation of neutron yield in (alpha, n) reactions on a large number of isotopes relevant to material construction for rare event experiments. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | The code is now widely used by physicists working with underground experiments for rare event searches. |
| Title | Muon simulation code (from 2013) |
| Description | A Monte Carlo code for modelling cosmic-ray muons at different underground sites, including SURF at South Dakota, USA (site for DUNE, LZ and LUX experiments), Modane, France (site for the EDELWEISS experiment) and Boulby in the UK (potential site for the next generation rare search experiment). |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2013 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | The code allows calculation of the muon fluxes and energy spectra underground. Initial simulations have been done for underground laboratories in Italy, France and others. In 2015 the model and method have first been applied to the SURF underground laboratory in the USA. Recent improvements to the model have been made for the DUNE experiment at SURF and recently for the Boulby site. Also used for muon simulations in geological repositories. |