The ProtoDUNE-SP detector is a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber with an active volume of 7.2× 6.1× 7.0 m3. It is installed at the CERN Neutrino Platform in a specially-constructed beam that delivers charged pions, kaons, protons, muons and electrons with momenta in the range 0.3 GeV/c to 7 GeV/c. Beam line instrumentation provides accurate momentum measurements and particle identification. The ProtoDUNE-SP detector is a prototype for the first far detector module of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, and it incorporates full-size components as designed for that module. This paper describes the beam line, the time projection chamber, the photon detectors, the cosmic-ray tagger, the signal processing and particle reconstruction. It presents the first results on ProtoDUNE-SP's performance, including noise and gain measurements, dE/dx calibration for muons, protons, pions and electrons, drift electron lifetime measurements, and photon detector noise, signal sensitivity and time resolution measurements. The measured values meet or exceed the specifications for the DUNE far detector, in several cases by large margins. ProtoDUNE-SP's successful operation starting in 2018 and its production of large samples of high-quality data demonstrate the effectiveness of the single-phase far detector design.
The deep underground neutrino experiment (DUNE), a 40-kton underground liquid argon time projection chamber experiment, will be sensitive to the electron-neutrino flavor component of the burst of neutrinos expected from the next Galactic core-collapse supernova. Such an observation will bring unique insight into the astrophysics of core collapse as well as into the properties of neutrinos. The general capabilities of DUNE for neutrino detection in the relevant few- to few-tens-of-MeV neutrino energy range will be described. As an example, DUNE’s ability to constrain the $$\nu _e$$
ν
e
spectral parameters of the neutrino burst will be considered.
Fusion-evaporation cross sections were measured in the two systems 48 Ca + 90,96 Zr in an energy range from well below to well above the Coulomb barrier. The sub-barrier fusion of 48 Ca + 90 Zr is reproduced by coupled-channels calculations including the lowest quadrupole and octupole vibrations of 90 Zr, and using a Woods-Saxon potential with a standard diffuseness parameter a = 0.68 fm. However, the fusion cross sections are overestimated above the barrier. The low-energy slope of the excitation function for 48 Ca + 96 Zr is steeper. This implies a larger diffuseness parameter a = 0.85 fm. Fusion cross sections are well fit in the whole energy range, and the effect of the strong octupole vibration in 96 Zr is predominant. The extracted fusion barrier distributions are reasonably well reproduced by calculations for both systems. A comparison with previous data for 40 Ca + 90,96 Zr is made in an attempt to clarify the role of transfer couplings in sub-barrier fusion.
The sensitivity of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) to neutrino oscillation is determined, based on a full simulation, reconstruction, and event selection of the far detector and a full simulation and parameterized analysis of the near detector. Detailed uncertainties due to the flux prediction, neutrino interaction model, and detector effects are included. DUNE will resolve the neutrino mass ordering to a precision of 5$$\sigma $$
σ
, for all $$\delta _{\mathrm{CP}}$$
δ
CP
values, after 2 years of running with the nominal detector design and beam configuration. It has the potential to observe charge-parity violation in the neutrino sector to a precision of 3$$\sigma $$
σ
(5$$\sigma $$
σ
) after an exposure of 5 (10) years, for 50% of all $$\delta _{\mathrm{CP}}$$
δ
CP
values. It will also make precise measurements of other parameters governing long-baseline neutrino oscillation, and after an exposure of 15 years will achieve a similar sensitivity to $$\sin ^{2} 2\theta _{13}$$
sin
2
2
θ
13
to current reactor experiments.
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will be a world-class neutrino observatory and nucleon decay detector designed to answer fundamental questions about the nature of elementary particles and their role in the universe.
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