Study of the Physics of Neutrinos

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Study of the Physics of Neutrinos
(Boris Kayser at the Superbeam Working Group
meeting, Jan. 29-30, 04)

• Sponsored by the American Physical Society
  Divisions of
• Particles and Fields
• Nuclear Physics
• Astrophysics
• Physics of Beams
• Organizational meeting was held December 2003.
• www.neutrinooscillation.org/studyaps/
• Final report will be completed August 2004.

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• Our blessing
• Compelling evidence for neutrino mass and mixing.
• Our opportunity
• To answer the neutrino questions raised by this
  discovery.
• Our purpose
• To ensure that we make the best possible use of
  this opportunity.

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Some of the Open Questions

• What physics is responsible for neutrino masses
  and mixing?
• How many neutrino species are there?Are there
  sterile neutrinos?
• What is the neutrino mass spectral pattern?
• What is the scale of neutrino mass?
• Are neutrinos Majorana particles (n n)?
• What is the leptonic mixing matrix?
• Do neutrino interactions violate CP?
• Is leptonic CP responsible for the baryon
  asymmetry in the universe?

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• Are there surprises?
• Rapid n decay?
• Non-Standard-Model n interactions?
• Towers of sterile neutrinos from extra
  dimensions?
• ???

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The Purposes of the Study

• Primary Purpose
• To move towards a coherent strategy for answering
  the open neutrino questions a clear, unified
  plan that funding sources can easily consider and
  promote.
• To this end, we will
• Identify the most important questions
• Evaluate the physics reach of the proposed ways
  of answering them
• Examine how different facilities and experiments
  complement each other
• Create a decision tree
• Determine an intelligent sequence of facilities
  and experiments

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• Our findings will guide the creation of the
  future neutrino program.
• To quote our Charge
• The Study will lay scientific groundwork for the
  choices that must be made during the next few
  years.
• Secondary Purpose
• To explain to our colleagues in other areas of
  physics, our funding sources, and the general
  public why neutrino physics is now so exciting.

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Charge to each Working Group

• Analyze the physics reach of your experimental
  approach.
• Consider what your approach can contribute to
  answering the open questions.
• Ensure that the relevant experiments are
  represented within your group.
• Provide independent technical evaluation of ideas.

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Targets

• Organizing Committee and Working Group Leaders
  hold Mid-Course Correction Meeting April 1-2
  or 4-5.
• Purpose To assess the progress of the Working
  Groups and to coordinate their activities.
• Entire Study holds three-day Final General
  Meeting during June 23-28 in Aspen.
• By the end of this meeting
• The working group findings
• Final cross-working-group coordination
• Preliminary study conclusions

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Our Final Product

• A 300 page written report.
• Contents
• Contributions from individual working group
  members
• A summary for each working group
• An integrated summary of the studys findings,
  written by the working group leaders, the
  organizing committee, and a few additional
  generous study participants

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The Structure of the Study

• Chairmen
• Stuart Freedman, Boris Kayser
• Organizing Committee
• Janet Conrad, Guido Drexlin,
• Belen Gavela, Takaaki Kajita,
• Paul Langacker, Keith Olive,
• Bob Palmer, Georg Raffelt,
• Hamish Robertson, Stan Wojcicki
• Lincoln Wolfenstein

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Working Groups The Central Element

• Each working group is defined by an experimental
  approach.
• The groups, their leaders, and their first
  meeting
• Solar and Atmospheric Neutrino Experiments
• John Bahcall ltjnb_at_ias.edugt, Josh Klein
  ltjrk_at_physics.utexas.edugt
• January 19, by phone
• Reactor Neutrino Experiments
• Gabriela Barenboim ltgabriela_at_fnal.govgt, Ed
  Blucher ltblucher_at_hep.uchicago.edugt
• February 7-8, Chicago
• Superbeam Experiments and Development
• Bill Marciano ltmarciano_at_bnl.govgt, Doug Michael
  ltmichael_at_hep.caltech.edugt
• January 29-30, Fermilab

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• Neutrino Factory and Beta Beam Experiments and
  Development
• Stephen Geer ltsgeer_at_fnal.govgt, Michael Zisman
  ltmszisman_at_lbl.govgt
• March 3-4, tentatively at Argonne
• Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay and Direct
  Searches for Neutrino Mass
• Steve Elliott ltelliotts_at_lanl.govgt, Petr Vogel
  ltpxv_at_caltech.edugt
• February 27-28, Caltech
• What Cosmology/Astrophysics and Neutrino Physics
  can Teach Each Other
• Steve Barwick ltbarwick_at_HEP.ps.uci.edugt, John
  Beacom ltbeacom_at_fnal.govgt
• Tentatively February 5, by phone

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• Theorists participate in all working groups.
• They will also discuss issues like how best to
  use future measurements to discriminate among
  theoretical models.
• Coordinator of theoretical discussions
• Rabi Mohapatra ltrmohapat_at_physics.umd.edugt
• To also join any other working group, please
  contact its leaders.

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Conveying the Excitement

• The importance of our secondary purpose
  conveying the excitement in neutrino physics
  has been made apparent by recent statements by
  government representatives.
• We will
• Devote part of our final report to this
• Organize a Neutrino-Fest, with media presence
• Neutrino experts who are especially good at
  writing for, or speaking to, the broader
  community are being sought.

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• We should be able to make a very strong case for
  a robust, exciting neutrino program.
• Both DOE and NSF have made it clear that they
  will be listening to us.
• Good Luck!