Identication and Tracking of Charged Leptons in the ESSνSB Near Detector Using the Time Dependence of the Cherenkov Signal
Author
Summary, in English
Abstract
The ESSSB (European Spallation Source Neutrino Super beam) is a
proposed long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment, intended to use the
same proton accelerator as the European Spallation Source. With the pro-
posed modications to the accelerator both ESSSB and the ESS would
achieve a beam power of 5 MW. This power, in conjunction with the dis-
covery of a large value of the mixing angle 13, makes a search for the CP
violating phase CP at the second oscillation maximum viable.
This thesis is partly a theoretical walk-through of the physics of neutrino
oscillations, and an examination of how the time information of events in
a water Cherenkov detector can be used for particle identication, energy
determination and tracking.
By examining simulated data it is found that the duration of an event
is related to particle flavor, and that the number of detected photons is re-
lated to the amount of kinetic energy above the Cherenkov threshold. Par-
ticle tracking was done in two dierent ways. One method used a constant
Cherenkov angle corresponding to a particle moving at v = c. This approach
led to correct vertex recognition for particles moving at near light speed,
but also to overestimations of track length. Furthermore, the track recon-
struction became worse for lower energies. The second method related the
change in radius of the Cherenkov ring per unit time to the Cherenkov an-
gle. This led to correct path reconstruction at higher energies and partially
successful reconstructions at lower energies. Finally, low energy problems
in the tracking methods are discussed and suggestions for improvements are
made.
The ESSSB (European Spallation Source Neutrino Super beam) is a
proposed long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment, intended to use the
same proton accelerator as the European Spallation Source. With the pro-
posed modications to the accelerator both ESSSB and the ESS would
achieve a beam power of 5 MW. This power, in conjunction with the dis-
covery of a large value of the mixing angle 13, makes a search for the CP
violating phase CP at the second oscillation maximum viable.
This thesis is partly a theoretical walk-through of the physics of neutrino
oscillations, and an examination of how the time information of events in
a water Cherenkov detector can be used for particle identication, energy
determination and tracking.
By examining simulated data it is found that the duration of an event
is related to particle flavor, and that the number of detected photons is re-
lated to the amount of kinetic energy above the Cherenkov threshold. Par-
ticle tracking was done in two dierent ways. One method used a constant
Cherenkov angle corresponding to a particle moving at v = c. This approach
led to correct vertex recognition for particles moving at near light speed,
but also to overestimations of track length. Furthermore, the track recon-
struction became worse for lower energies. The second method related the
change in radius of the Cherenkov ring per unit time to the Cherenkov an-
gle. This led to correct path reconstruction at higher energies and partially
successful reconstructions at lower energies. Finally, low energy problems
in the tracking methods are discussed and suggestions for improvements are
made.
Publishing year
2017
Language
English
Full text
Document type
Student publication for Bachelor's degree
Topic
- Physics and Astronomy
Supervisor
- Peter Christiansen
- Joakim Cederkäll (Professor)
Scientific presentation