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Neutrinos are notorious for not interacting with anything and yet scientists are able to make beams of neutrinos and point them in very specific directions, hitting targets many hundreds of miles away. In this video, Fermilab’s Dr. Don Lincoln explains the simple and clever technique researchers use to make this happen.
The Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) Line is used to produce neutrino beams for the 8 GeV Neutrino Program at Fermilab. This talk will provide a summary of the BNB operations and an estimate of the neutrino flux that is produced by the beamline. The talk will also summarize the work to upgrade the system which records the longitudinal structure of the primary proton beam that is delivered to BNB production target.
There are currently four conventional neutrino beams produced around the world serving a total of six different neutrino experiments devoted to a broad range of physics. In this article we discuss the current generation of experiments served by those beamlines, future plans for those beamlines, and plans for yet newer facilities, with a focus on lessons the current generation of experiments can pass on to future generations.
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The Accelerator Neutrino Neutron Interaction Experiment (ANNIE) is both a physics experiment and a technology testbed for next-generation light-based neutrino detection. In this paper, we report the first demonstration of a fully integrated Large Area Picosecond Photodetector (LAPPD) operating in a running neutrino beam experiment. Particular focus is given to the design, commissioning, and successful deployment of the Packaged ANNIE LAPPD (PAL), a waterproof, self-triggering module incorporating fast waveform digitization and precision timing synchronized to the ANNIE detector subsystems. We identify beam-correlated LAPPD data frames consistent with charged-current neutrino interactions observed in multiple detector subsystems, establishing the first detection of neutrino-induced Cherenkov light with an LAPPD. These results validate the system-level performance of LAPPDs under realistic experimental conditions — including long-term stability, timing synchronization, and event matching with conventional PMT and muon detector systems — marking a critical step toward their deployment in future large-scale neutrino and particle detectors.
Introduction to Neutrino Beams and Accelerator Neutrino Beams.
High power target systems are crucial elements in enabling future neutrino and other rare particle beams. These systems transform intense source of protons into secondary particles of interest to enable new scientific discoveries. As primary beam intensities increase in next-generation multi-megawatt accelerator facilities, high power target systems face key challenges. Thermal shock and radiation damage effects in beam-intercepting devices were identified as the leading cross-cutting challenges of high-power target facilities. Target materials R&D to address these challenges are therefore essential to enable and ensure reliable operation of future accelerator target facilities. This paper provides an overview of the R&D activities underway to help support high power target systems development for next-generation multi-MW facilities.
MW-class beam facilities are being considered all over the world to produce an intense neutrino beam for fundamental particle physics experiments. A radiation-robust beam monitor system is required to diagnose the primary and secondary beam qualities in high-radiation environments. We have proposed a novel gas-filled RF-resonator hadron beam monitor in which charged particles passing through the resonator produce ionized plasma that changes the permittivity of the gas. The sensitivity of the monitor has been evaluated in numerical simulation. A signal manipulation algorithm has been designed. A prototype system will be constructed and tested by using a proton beam at the MuCool Test Area at Fermilab.
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a flagship long-baseline accelerator neutrino experiment under construction in the U.S. With a 1,300 km distance between its Near Detector (ND) and Far Detector (FD), the world’s most intense LBNF (Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility) neutrino beam, and high-resolution LArTPC (Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber) detectors, DUNE will measure the neutrino oscillation parameters with unprecedented precision. In addition to the determination of the neutrino mass ordering and the potential discovery of Charge-Parity violation in the leptonic sector, DUNE's capabilities present a unique opportunity for probing Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics signals with neutrinos. Examples of BSM physics manifestations include the presence of Non-Standard Interactions (NSI) of neutrinos with matter, or the existence of sterile neutrinos that mix with 3-Flavor neutrinos. In this study, we present a joint ND+FD fit to simulated data assessing DUNE's sensitivity to probing neutrino NSI, as well as scenarios including sterile neutrino mixing.
We report the R&D of a novel radiation-robust hadron beam profile monitor based on a gas-filled RF cavity for intense neutrino beam experiments. An equivalent RF circuit model was made and simulated to optimize the RF parameter in a wide beam intensity range. As a result, the maximum acceptable beam intensity in the monitor is significantly increased by using a low-quality factor RF cavity. The plan for the demonstration test is set up to prepare for future neutrino beam experiments.
Precise, accurate neutrino flux predictions for neutrino beam experiments are crucial for physics results. Flux predictions for the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab were first published in 2009 by the MiniBooNE collaboration. It is no longer possible to run the simulation used to create these predictions due to outdated software versions. In this exciting period for the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program at Fermilab, with both the far detector (ICARUS) and the near detector (SBND) operating, an updated flux model for the BNB is necessary. For the purpose of using a dynamic, up-to-date beam model, the SBN program has created a new simulation named G4BNB. This framework contains new features, such as a full neutrino ancestry to handle hadron production systematics with more precision, and the inclusion of neutral mesons from the proton-beryllium scatter to allow the study of exotic BSM scenarios.
Overview of accelerator neutrino beams and neutrino fluxes. *Neutrinos & their sources • Accelerator Neutrino Beams • Beamline components • Neutrino flux • Why we care about flux uncertainties
For accelerator neutrino experiments, an accurate prediction of the incoming neutrino flux is crucial for reducing uncertainties for all physics measurements. In this exciting period for the Short-Baseline Neutrino program at Fermilab, with far detector (ICARUS) already operating and the near detector (SBND) nearing operation, an updated flux model for the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) is presented. The BNB delivers 8 GeV protons to a beryllium target, subsequently producing neutrinos from the decay of the secondary beam of hadrons. A updated Monte-Carlo simulation of beam production in GEANT4 has been created, allowing predictions to be made for detectors with different baselines, offsets and sizes. This new simulation contains new features, such as a full neutrino ancestry to handle hadron production systematics with more precision, with a view to storing all resulting particles - including neutral mesons - from the proton-Beryllium scatter to allow the study of exotic BSM scenarios. Results are presented, with comparisons to the original flux simulated for the MiniBooNE experiment.
The NuMI facility at Fermilab is currently providing an extremely intense beam of neutrinos for the NOνA, MINERνA and MINOS+ experiments. By installing the 5-ton CAPTAIN liquid argon TPC in front of the MINERνA detector in the NuMI beamline and combining the data from the CAPTAIN, MINERνA and MINOS+ detectors, a broad program of few-GeV neutrino cross section measurements on argon can be pursued. These measurements will be extremely helpful for future oscillation experiments. By directly comparing the cross sections on argon to MINERνA’s scintillator (CH) target, a new level of precision can be achieved in the measurements of the effects of the nucleus on neutrino interactions. These effects are of interest to not only the particle physics but also the nuclear physics community. This document describes in detail the physics goals of the CAPTAIN-MINERνA experiment, in addition to a first estimate of the technical resources required to install, commission and operate the CAPTAIN detector in front of the MINERVA detector.
We consider the collective neutrino plasma interactions and study the electron plasma instabilities produced by a nearly mono-energetic neutrino beam in a plasma. We describe the mutual interaction between neutrino flavor oscillations and electron plasma waves. We show that the neutrino flavor oscillations are not only perturbed by electron plasmas waves but also contribute to the dispersion relation and the growth rates of neutrino beam instabilities.
As the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment nears construction, the existing neutrino facilities at Fermilab provide opportunities to test and refine methods characterizing high precision neutrino beams. MARGARITA is a water Cherenkov stopped muon detector that features twin photomultiplier tubes and two small, slightly differing detector volumes. The two detector volumes are designed to exploit the difference between the lifetimes of positive and negative muons in matter in order to characterize a neutrino beam. MARGARITA is currently being developed in the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beamline. The NuMI beamline also contains an existing muon monitoring system that has been underutilized. Improved analysis via ROOT and simulation via Geant4 of past, current, and future data from the muon monitors during an array of operating conditions could provide useful insights for any experiment at Fermilab utilizing a precision neutrino beam.
The {beta} decays of {sup 150}Er, {sup 152}Yb, and {sup 156}Yb nuclei are investigated using the total absorption spectroscopy technique. These nuclei can be considered possible candidates for forming the beam of a monoenergetic neutrino beam facility based on the electron capture (EC) decay of radioactive nuclei. Our measurements confirm that for the cases studied the EC decay proceeds mainly to a single state in the daughter nucleus.