We explore the potential offered by large-mass Liquid Argon detectors for determination of the sign of Delta m_{31}^2, or the neutrino mass hierarchy, through interactions of atmospheric neutrinos. We give results for a 100 kT sized magnetized detector which provides separate sensitivity to ν_μ, \barν_μand, over a limited energy range, to ν_e, \barν_e.We also discuss the sensitivity for the unmagnetized version of such a detector. After including the effect of smearing in neutrino energy and direction and incorporating the relevant statistical,theoretical and systematic errors, we perform a binned χ^2 analysis of simulated data. The χ^2 is marginalized over the presently allowed ranges of neutrino parameters and determined as a function of θ_{13}. We find that such a detector offers superior capabilities for hierarchy resolution, allowing a > 4σdetermination for a 100 kT detector over a 10 year running period for values of \sin^2 2θ_{13} \ge 0.05. For an unmagnetized detector, a 2.5σhierarchy sensitivity is possible for \sin^2 2θ_{13} = 0.04.
Grand Unification of the strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions into a single unified gauge group is an extremely appealing idea which has been vigorously pursued theoretically and experimentally for many years. The detection of proton or bound-neutron decays would represent its most direct experimental evidence. In this context, we studied the physics potentialities of very large underground Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LAr TPC). We carried out a detailed simulation of signal efficiency and background sources, including atmospheric neutrinos and cosmogenic backgrounds. We poi…
In view of the evaluation of the physics goals of a large Liquid Argon TPC, evolving from the ICARUS technology, we have studied the possibility of performing precision measurements on atmospheric neutrinos. For this purpose we have improved existing Monte Carlo neutrino event generators based on FLUKA and NUX by including the 3-flavor oscillation formalism and the numerical treatment of Earth matter effects. By means of these tools we have studied the sensitivity in the measurement of Theta(23) through the accurate measurement of electron neutrinos. The updated values for Delta m^2(23) from S…
An ultra-large Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber-based neutrino detector will have the uncommon ability to detect atmospheric tau neutrino events. This paper discusses the most promising modes for identifying charged current tau neutrino interactions, and shows that, with simple kinematic cuts, ~30 tau neutrinos can be isolated in a 100 kt*yr exposure, with greater than 4 sigma significance. This sample is sufficient to perform flux-averaged total cross-section and cross-section shape parameterization measurements -- the first steps toward using tau neutrinos to search for physics beyond th…
Taking into account the current global information on neutrino oscillation parameters we forecast the capabilities of future long baseline experiments such as DUNE and T2HK in settling the atmospheric octant puzzle. We find that a good measurement of the reactor angle $θ_{13}$ plays a key role in fixing the octant of the atmospheric angle $θ_{23}$ with such future accelerator neutrino studies.
We study the possibility of detecting the background of Supernova Relic Neutrinos (SRN) with liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) detectors. As far as this study is concerned, these experimental devices are mainly sensitive to electron neutrino signals, and could provide further information on both Supernova explosion mechanism and on star formation rate at redshifts z <2. We study in details the main contributions to background in the relevant energy range from 8B and hep solar neutrinos as well as from low energy atmospheric neutrino fluxes. Depending on the theoretical prediction for …
We assess the prospects for indirect detection of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles using a large Liquid Argon TPC detector. Signal events will consist of energetic electron (anti)neutrinos coming from the decay of $τ$ leptons and $b$ quarks produced in WIMP annihilation in the core of the Sun. Background contamination from atmospheric neutrinos is expected to be low, thanks to the superb angular resolution and particle identification capabilities provided by the considered experimental set-up. We evaluate the event rates predicted for an annihilating WIMP as a function of its elastic scatt…
The potential of future high statistics atmospheric neutrino experiments is considered, having in mind currently discussed huge detectors of various technologies (water Cerekov, magnetized iron, liquid Argon). I focus on the possibility to use atmospheric data to determine the octant of $θ_{23}$ and the neutrino mass hierarchy. The sensitivity to the $θ_{23}$-octant of atmospheric neutrinos is competitive (or even superior) to long-baseline experiments. I discuss the ideal properties of a fictitious atmospheric neutrino detector to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy.
In this paper we address a class of ``ultimate'' generation experiments for the search of CP-violation in neutrino oscillations. Neutrino factories require large magnetized detectors. New generation superbeams or beta-beams need giant detectors. The liquid Argon TPC technology has great potentials for both applications. Although the ICARUS program has demonstrated that this technology is mature, the possibility to built a giant liquid argon TPC is viewed by many as a technically impossible and unsafe task. We argue that a giant liquid argon Cerenkov and charge Imaging experiment would be an id…
The down-going atmospheric ν_μ and {\bar{ν_μ}} fluxes can be significantly altered due to the presence of eV^2-scale active-sterile oscillations. We study the sensitivity of a large Liquid Argon detector and a large magnetized iron detector (like the proposed ICAL at INO) to these oscillations. Such oscillations are indicated by results from LSND, and more recently, from MiniBooNE and from reanalyses of reactor experiments following recent recalculations of reactor fluxes. There are other tentative indications of the presence of sterile states in both the νand {\barν} sectors as well. Using th…
In this work we show that the physics reach of a long-baseline (LBL) neutrino oscillation experiment based on a superbeam and a megaton water Cherenkov detector can be significantly increased if the LBL data are combined with data from atmospheric neutrinos (ATM) provided by the same detector. ATM data are sensitive to the octant of $θ_{23}$ and to the type of the neutrino mass hierarchy, mainly through three-flavor effects in e-like events. This allows to resolve the so-called $θ_{23}$- and sign($Δm^2_{31}$)-parameter degeneracies in LBL data. As a consequence it becomes possible to distingui…
The determination of the missing $U_{e3}$ element (magnitude and phase) of the PMNS neutrino mixing matrix is possible via the detection of $\numu\to\nue$ oscillations at a baseline $L$ and energy $E$ given by the atmospheric observations, corresponding to a mass squared difference $E/L \sim Δm^2\simeq 2.5\times 10^{-3} eV^2$. While the current optimization of the CNGS beam provides limited sensitivity to this reaction, we discuss in this document the physics potential of an intensity upgraded and energy re-optimized CNGS neutrino beam coupled to an off-axis detector. We show that improvements…
We study the possibility of extracting the neutrino mass ordering at the future Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment using atmospheric neutrinos, which will be available before the muon neutrino beam starts being perational. The large statistics of the atmospheric muon neutrino and antineutrino samples at the far detector, together with the baselines of thousands of kilometers that these atmospheric (anti)neutrinos travel, provide the ideal ingredients to extract the neutrino mass ordering via matter effects in the neutrino propagation through the Earth. Crucially, muon capture by Argon provid…
In this paper we show that the DUNE experiment can measure the Earth's density profile by analyzing atmospheric neutrino oscillations. The crucial feature that enables such measurement is the detailed event reconstruction capability of liquid argon time projection chambers. This allows for studying the sub-GeV atmospheric neutrino component, which bears a rich oscillation phenomenology, strongly dependent on the matter potential sourced by the Earth. We provide a pedagogical discussion of the MSW and parametric resonances and their role in measuring the core and mantle densities. By performing…
We propose to use the unique event topology and reconstruction capabilities of liquid argon time projection chambers to study sub-GeV atmospheric neutrinos. The detection of low energy recoiled protons in DUNE allows for a determination of the leptonic $CP$-violating phase independent from the accelerator neutrino measurement. Our findings indicate that this analysis can exclude several values of $δ_{CP}$ beyond the $3σ$ level. Moreover, the determination of the sub-GeV atmospheric neutrino flux will have important consequences in the detection of diffuse supernova neutrinos and in dark matter…
We outline a strategy for future experiments on neutrino and astroparticle physics based on the use, at different detector mass scales (100 ton and 100 kton), of the liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC) technique. The LAr TPC technology has great potentials for both cases with large degree of interplay between the two applications and a strong synergy. The ICARUS R&D programme has demonstrated that the technology is mature and that one can built a large ($\sim$ 1 kton) LAr TPC. We believe that one can conceive and design a very large mass LAr TPC with a mass of 100 kton by employing …
One of the unknown parameters in neutrino oscillations is the octant of the mixing angle theta_{23}. In this paper, we discuss the possibility of determining the octant of theta_{23} in the long baseline experiments T2K and NOvA in conjunction with future atmospheric neutrino detectors, in light of non-zero value of theta_{13} measured by reactor experiments. We consider two detector technologies for atmospheric neutrinos - magnetized iron calorimeter and non-magnetized Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber. We present the octant sensitivity for T2K/NOvA and atmospheric neutrino experiments sep…
We study the sensitivity of future xenon- and argon-based dark matter and neutrino detection experiments to low-energy atmospheric neutrinos. Not accounting for experimental backgrounds, the primary obstacle for identifying nuclear recoils induced by atmospheric neutrinos is the tail of the electron recoil distribution due to $pp$ solar neutrinos. We use the NEST code to model the solar and atmospheric neutrino signals in a xenon detector and find that an exposure of 700 tonne-years will produce a $5σ$ detection of atmospheric neutrinos. We explore the effect of different detector properties a…
We study the effects of non-standard interactions on the oscillation pattern of atmospheric neutrinos. We use neutrino oscillograms as our main tool to infer the role of non-standard interactions (NSI) parameters at the probability level in the energy range, $E \in [1,20]$ GeV and zenith angle range, $\cos θ\in [-1,0]$. We compute the event rates for atmospheric neutrino events in presence of NSI parameters in the energy range $E \in [1,10]$ GeV for two different detector configurations - a magnetized iron calorimeter and an unmagnetized liquid Argon time projection chamber which have differen…
We discuss the possibility of new generation neutrino and astroparticle physics experiments exploiting the liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC) technique, following a graded strategy that envisions applications with increasing detector masses (from 100 ton to 100 kton). The ICARUS R&D program has already demonstrated that the technology is mature with the test of the T600 detector at surface. Since 2003 we have been working with the conceptual design of a very large LAr TPC with a mass of 50-100 kton to be built by employing a monolithic technology based on the use of industrial, lar…
The recent discovery by the Daya-Bay and RENO experiments, that θ_{13} is nonzero and relatively large, significantly impacts existing experiments and the planning of future facilities. In many scenarios, the nonzero value of θ_{13} implies that θ_{23} is likely to be different from π/4. Additionally, large detectors will be sensitive to matter effects on the oscillations of atmospheric neutrinos, making it possible to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and the octant of θ_{23}. We show that a 50 kT magnetized liquid argon neutrino detector can ascertain the mass hierarchy with a significan…
SNO's neutral current measurement has added a new piece to the emerging neutrino physics puzzle. Putting together the presently available experimental information, an essentially unique picture emerges: The solar neutrino anomaly is explained by nu_e --> nu_tau oscillations, the atmospheric neutrino anomaly is explained by nu_{mu} --> nu_s and the LSND data are explained by nu_e --> nu_{mu}. This scheme will be tested by future experiments: MiniBooNE will test the oscillation explanation of the LSND anomaly, while the long baseline experiments will discriminate between the nu_{mu} --> nu_s and…
We develop a general theoretical framework to analytically disentangle the contributions of the neutrino mass hierarchy, the atmospheric mixing angle, and the CP phase, in neutrino oscillations. To illustrate the usefulness of this framework, especially that it can serve as a complementary tool to neutrino oscillogram in the study of atmospheric neutrino oscillations, we take PINGU as an example and compute muon- and electron-like event rates with event cuts on neutrino energy and zenith angle. Under the assumption of exact momentum measurements of neutrinos with a perfect e-$μ$ identification…
We have explored the possibilities of resolving the $θ_{23}$ octant degeneracy present in the newly planned Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) by combining reactor data. Reactor experiments have already measured the third mixing angle $θ_{13}$ very precisely and this precise measurenent of $θ_{13}$ in turn helps in $θ_{23}$ octant measurement. We have examined the octant sensitivity with and without reactor data and it improves if reactor data is added. The comparative study of octant sensitivities of 10kt and 35kt liquid argon Far Detectors, with and without the Near Detector, reveals t…
The Fermi Lab Liquid ARgon experiment, FLARE, a huge neutrino argon-liquid project detector of 50 kt mass, might in a near future enlarge the neutrino telescope accuracy revealing in detail solar, supernova, atmospheric as well as largest solar flares neutrino. Indeed the solar energetic (E_p > 100 MeVs) flare particles (protons, alpha) while scattering among themselves or hitting the solar atmosphere must produce on sun prompt charged pions, whose decay (as well as their sequent muon decays) into secondaries is source of a copious solar neutrino "flare" (at tens or hundreds MeV energy). These…
Self-Calibration of the Neutrino-Argon Cross Section with Solar Neutrinos
Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP), Ohio State University（俄亥俄州立大学宇宙学与天体粒子物理中心）；Department of Physics, Ohio State University（俄亥俄州立大学物理系）；Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University（俄亥俄州立大学天文系）
Complementarity between atmospheric and super-beam neutrinos at ESSnuSB
Consorcio ESS-bilbao（ESS-Bilbao联合体）；European Spallation Source（欧洲散裂源）；Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials and Sensing Devices, Ruđer Bošković Institute（先进材料与传感设备卓越中心，鲁德·博什科维奇研究所）；IPHC, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS/IN2P3（斯特拉斯堡大学物理与核子化学研究所，法国国家科学研究中心/欧洲粒子物理研究所）；Department of Physics, School of Engineering Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology（皇家理工学院工程科学学院物理系）；The Oskar Klein Centre, AlbaNova University Center（奥斯卡·克莱因中心，阿尔巴诺瓦大学中心）；Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Faculty of Physics（索非亚圣克利门特奥赫里德斯基大学物理学院）；University of Milano-Bicocca and INFN Sez. di Milano-Bicocca（米兰比可卡大学及意大利国家核物理研究所米兰比可卡分部）
If dark matter self-annihilates into neutrinos or a second component of ("boosted") dark matter that is nucleophilic, the annihilation products may be detected with high rates via coherent nuclear scattering. A future multi-ten-tonne liquid xenon detector such as DARWIN, and a multi-hundred-tonne liquid argon detector, ARGO, would be sensitive to the flux of these particles in complementary ranges of $10-1000$ MeV dark matter masses. We derive these sensitivities after accounting for atmospheric and diffuse supernova neutrino backgrounds, and realistic nuclear recoil acceptances. We find that …
Dark matter particles gravitationally trapped inside the Sun may annihilate into Standard Model particles, producing a flux of neutrinos. The prospects of detecting these neutrinos in future multi-\kton{} neutrino detectors designed for other physics searches are explored here. We study the capabilities of a 34/100 \kton{} liquid argon detector and a 100 \kton{} magnetized iron calorimeter detector. These detectors are expected to determine the energy and the direction of the incoming neutrino with unprecedented precision allowing for tests of the dark matter nature at very low dark matter mas…
