HyperKamiokande Pre-Construction Bid
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Planned Impact
Full Impact Summary submitted by QMUL in Joint Submission Document
Publications
Abe K
(2018)
Atmospheric neutrino oscillation analysis with external constraints in Super-Kamiokande I-IV
in Physical Review D
Hosokawa K
(2023)
Development of ultra-pure gadolinium sulfate for the Super-Kamiokande gadolinium project
in Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics
Li Z
(2018)
Measurement of the tau neutrino cross section in atmospheric neutrino oscillations with Super-Kamiokande
in Physical Review D
Abe K
(2017)
Search for an Excess of Events in the Super-Kamiokande Detector in the Directions of the Astrophysical Neutrinos Reported by the IceCube Collaboration
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kachulis C
(2018)
Search for Boosted Dark Matter Interacting with Electrons in Super-Kamiokande.
in Physical review letters
Abe K
(2018)
Search for Neutrinos in Super-Kamiokande Associated with the GW170817 Neutron-star Merger
in The Astrophysical Journal
| Description | We have developed calibration sources that are capable of injecting short-duration light flashes into a water Cerenkov detector. We have developed a test regime for determining the radiopurity of gadolinium sulphate samples. We have a better understanding of how a detector such as HyperK may observe neutrinos from a supernova and also possibly say something about the underlying astrophysics that drives the supernova. |
| Exploitation Route | Our findings will largely feed into further work on water Cerenkov detectors. However, indirectly, some of our findings may guide and influence the recently-funded US-UK funded AIT/WATCHMAN project which is planning to build a similar detector for nuclear non-proliferation studies. |
| Sectors | Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/research/pppa/nugroup/hyperk |
| Description | Know-how acquired via the HyperK (and T2K and SuperK) projects has been applied successfully to the request for funding to the WATCHMAN/AIT project which may educate nuclear non-proliferation policy in the future. Expertise in scintillator has also educated the formation of a recent spin-out company, Geoptic. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Construction,Security and Diplomacy |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Collaboration with SuperKamiokande (SuperK) Collaboration |
| Organisation | Super-Kamiokande |
| Country | Japan |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Selected members of the UK HyperKamiokande team, including Lee Thompson and Andrew Cole from Sheffield joined SuperK in January 2016. We are working with members of the SuperK EGADS team on measuring the activity of Gadolinium samples at the so-called Boulby Underground Germanium Suite (BUGS) at STFC's Boulby Underground Lab. There are also plans to use SuperK as a testbench ofr some of the HyperK calibration work that we are involved in. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in calibration. Production of Gd samples. Expertise in handing and measurement of Gd samples. |
| Impact | Work is ongoing, no direct impact yet. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Company Name | GEOPTIC LIMITED |
| Description | Geoptic provides cosmic ray imaging services to the civil engineering sector. Our novel technique is able see through many tens of metres of soil and rock, or equivalent materials, in order to identify regions of anomalous density. |
| Year Established | 2019 |
| Impact | Work with Network Rail to image railway tunnels to locate and characterise hidden shafts. |
| Website | https://www.geoptic.co.uk/ |
| Description | AstroSoc talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Talk about HyperKamiokande to Chesterfield Astronomical Society |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Cocktails & Physics public outreach event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An evening event called "Cocktails & Physics" in a bar in Sheffield involving 3 presentations about neutrinos, supernovae and SuperK/HyperK |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Colloquium, DESY, Hamburg |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Colloquium on HyperK at DESY Hamburg national lab in Germany |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| URL | https://physikseminar.desy.de/hamburg/colloquia_in_2019/29_january_2019/ |
| Description | Colloquium, DESY, Zeuthen, Berlin |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Colloquium on HyperK at DESY Zeuthen national lab |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://physikseminar.desy.de/hamburg/colloquia_in_2019/29_january_2019/ |
| Description | HyperK "STEMinar", Jan 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on HyperK to STEM postgraduates, academics and people from industry at university-wide LGBT+ event at the University of Sheffield. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Mini-workshop at Sheffield Festival of Science and Engineering |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A talk plus mini-exhibition on neutrinos and HyperKamiokande as part of the Sheffield Festival of Science and Engineering |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Public Lecture from Nobel Laureate |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public lecture at the University of Sheffield. Given by Nobel Laureate, Professor Kajita. Topic was neutrinos, HyperK and SuperK |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/nobel-prize-winner-sheffield-1.705852 |
| Description | Royal Society EXhibition |
| 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 | This was a exhibition stand at the Royal Society's summer exhibition featuring a number of exhibits, including an SK VR system, a 20" SK PMT and a (not-working) beam target from RAL, other exhibits, leaflets, take away information on neutrinos. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2018/summer-science-exhibition/exhibits/ |
| Description | Talk to U3A (University of the Third Age) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Talk about neutrinos and HyperK to the Science and Technology Group of the Sheffield branch of the U3A (University of the Third Age) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Tapton School, Sheffield |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Talk on HyperKamiokande at Tapton School Sheffield. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |