1999/11/06 by Kirk T. McDonald, K. T. McDonald, McDonald, K. T.
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Accelerator Physics (physics.acc-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Muon and positron interactions and applications #Neutrino Physics Research #Particle accelerators and beam dynamics #physics.acc-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.physics/9911009
arxiv created 1999/11/06 · openalex publication_date 1999/11/06 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2024/04/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We are exploring the feasibility of a neutrino factory based on a muon storage ring. In this, beams of numu and nubare arise from the decay of mu- particles (or alternatively, nubarmu and nue from mu+). The muons come from the decay of low-energy pions produced by a megawatt proton beam incident on a nuclear target. The muons are captured into a magnetic channel, "cooled" by ionization in liquid hydrogen, accelerated to energy of order 50 GeV, and injected into a storage ring. A nonhorizontal ring can deliver neutrino beams to an on-site detector, as well as to two off-site detectors separated by global distances. Such a neutrino factory is a challenging extension of present accelerator technology. It is also a natural path to a muon collider, in that both facilities share many common elements upstream of their storage rings. Prior to a formal design study, R&D must be performed in several keys areas, such detailed simulations and actual targetry and cooling experiments. This in an excellent opportunity to advance the field of accelerator physics both at national laboratories and at universities.