Particle and Astroparticle Physics Seminar

Opportunities for the next generation Neutrino physics

Akira Konaka

TRIUMF

Neutrino physics enters the era of precision measurement. Leptonic CP violation will be within the reach of future neutrino oscillation projects, Hyper-Kamiokande's statistical sensitivities on electron neutrino and anti-electron-neutrino appearances will reach 3%, which can be compared with the nearly maximal CP violation asymmetry of ~20%, favoured by the current T2K data. In order to successfully observe CP asymmetry and study the lepton mixing, it is essential to control the systematic uncertainty down to well below 3%. Muon neutrino disappearance provides θ₂₃ mixing. The current PDG summary of θ₂₃ is consistent with maximal (sin²(θ₂₃)=0.51±0.04), possibly indicating μ-τ symmetry in lepton mixing. However, this result is already limited by the systematic uncertainties due to nuclear and hadronic effects. The atmospheric neutrino events provides independent information on neutrino oscillations with much longer baseline (multiple oscillations nodes) and earth matter effects, providing independent measurement on CP violation, neutrino mass hierarchy, and test of unitarity of the lepton mixing matrix. Again, the current measurements by Super-Kamiokande is limited by the systematic uncertainties in the atmospheric neutrino flux and neutrino cross sections. In this seminar, I will describe the challenges and opportunities in handling systematic uncertainties in precision neutrino measurements, and describe innovative efforts lead by the Canadian neutrino physics group to handle them, namely the new intermediate detector project, NuPRISM, and test beam experiments at Fermilab. I would also like to point out other exiting opportunities in Hyper-Kamiokande, such as neutrino astronomy and searches for nucleon decays and dark matters.