Ponente
Sr.
Jannik Hofestädt
(ECAP)
Descripción
Since the measurement of the neutrino mixing parameter theta_13, the determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy has become a central goal of upcoming neutrino physics experiments. A promising pathway to this measurement are atmospheric neutrino experiments probing neutrino oscillation in matter.
We present the status of a dedicated feasibility study 'Oscillation Research with Cosmics in the Abyss' (ORCA) to evaluate the potential of a megaton scale underwater Cherenkov detector to determine the mass hierarchy. The detector will be a dense array of optical modules using technology developed for KM3NeT, the future multi-km3 water Cherenkov neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea. The final size and layout of the detector will depend on the outcome of the ongoing optimisation study and on available funding. The baseline performance in terms of energy and angular accuracy, flavor identification, and background rejection will be discussed for a reference detector of 50 lines (about 1.8 Mton). Preliminary projections for the ORCA sensitivity to the neutrino mass hierarchy will be presented. The exciting possibility to use the ORCA detector in conjunction with a neutrino beam will also be discussed briefly.
Autor primario
Sr.
Jannik Hofestädt
(ECAP)
