ExperimentCyclotronsOur experiments, like many in the field of high energy and particle physics, make use of cyclotrons. Cyclotrons are a type of particle accelerator first invented by Ernest O. Lawrence in 1929, which make use of a magnetic field and a varying electric to accelerate charged particles along a spiral path before defelcting them outwards to create a targeted beam. IsoDAR will use a cyclotron to create a beam of 60 MeV protons, while DAEδALUS will use a cyclotron similar to IsoDAR's as a injector for a second, larger cyclotron to create a beam of 800 MeV protons. For more information on cyclotrons in general, including how they work and other uses, see our Cyclotrons section. IsoDAR
The IsoDAR experimental program is an ISOtope Decay-At-Rest experiment that will perform unique searches for sterile neutrino oscillations and non-standard neutrino interactions. The experiment is being designed to definitively address these physics topics using a well understood, high intensity 8Li β-decay-at-rest antineutrino source coupled with a massive detector such as KamLAND that has high efficiency inverse-beta-decay identification capabilities. The high statistics data sample will allow excellent sensitivity to these new physics signatures and allow study of any signals that may be detected. With respect to sterile neutrinos, the oscillation probability should depend on the ratio (L/E) of the distance traveled by the neutrino (L) to the energy of the neutrino (E). Accurately mapping out the oscillation probability as a function of (L/E) within the detector, called the oscillation wave will conclusively test if an observed signal is associated with the sterile neutrino anomalies or experimental uncertainties. The oscillation wave can be used to determine the number of extra sterile neutrino flavors by differentiating the oscillatory behavior of a (3+1) versus a (3+2) oscillation model as shown in the two plots below. The high intensity will also allow the study of antineutrino-electron scattering. This is a very clean and well-understood interaction that can be used to search for indications of non-standard neutrino interactions proposed in many extensions of the standard model. ![]() The IsoDAR neutrino source consists of an accelerator producing 60 MeV protons that impinge on a 9Be target, producing neutrons. IsoDAR can use the same cyclotron design as the injector cyclotron for the two-cyclotron DAEδALUS system. The neutrons enter a surrounding ≥99.99% isotopically pure 7Li sleeve, where neutron capture results in 8Li; this isotope undergoes β decay at rest to produce an isotropic νe flux with an average energy of ~6.4 MeV and an endpoint of ~13 MeV. The νe will interact in a scintillator detector via inverse beta decay (IBD), νe + p → e+ + n, which is easily tagged through prompt-light plus neutron-capture coincidence. When paired with KamLAND, the experiment is capable of observing 8.2 x 105 reconstructed IBD events in five years. With this data set, IsoDAR can provide a 5σ test of sterile neutrino oscillation models, allow precision measurement of νe-e scattering, and search for production and decay of exotic particles. ![]() ![]() DAEδALUSDAEδALUS is the second phase of the 2 part IsoDAR/DAEδALUS project. Using the cyclotron from IsoDAR as an injector, DAEδALUS will further accelerate protons to around 800 MeV at three different modules at different distances from a single detector. Each module will include an ions source, two cyclotrons, and a target which will produce at-rest pions once bombarded by the protons. These pions will decay to produce electron neutrinos, muon neutrinos, and muon antineutrinos. The low numbers of electron antineutrinos produced make DAEδALUS very sensitive to muon antineutrino to electron antineutrino oscillation. DAEδALUS's ultimate goal is to search for CP-Violation in the neutrino sector through these oscillations over short baselines. For a more in depth look at the planned DAEδALUS experiment, see our DAEδALUS section. |