Experimental Neutrino Physics Group

RESEARCH TOPIC

Neutrinos, being the most abundant particles in the universe, have no electric charge and undetermined masses. Yet, evidence substantiates that they possess non-zero masses and can switch flavors through a process known as neutrino oscillation. To deepen understanding of these oscillations, particle accelerators produce intense neutrino beams. The Tokai-to-Kamioka (T2K) experiment has recently set the most stringent limits on the parameter governing neutrino oscillation's matter-antimatter symmetry breaking. Although T2K achieved the 5-10% level of systematic uncertainty, it is insufficient for determining the matter-antimatter symmetry violation. One of the largest limiting factors in any oscillation analysis comes from uncertainty on the neutrino interaction cross sections. Neutrino cross section measurements have in turn been limited by large uncertainty on the neutrino flux prediction which predominantly comes from hadron production. This issue is anticipated for the forthcoming Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) in the US. To address these challenges, our group is focused on: (1) Hadron production measurements in collaboration with NA61/SHINE at CERN SPS, aimed at refining flux predictions for T2K and DUNE. (2) Precise neutrino-nucleus interaction measurements, leveraging novel near detectors at T2K and DUNE. Additionally, we are advancing readout technologies for DUNE's next-gen gaseous detector.

Research results

The ELTE neutrino group plays key roles in international collaborations. In the T2K experiment, we lead in accurately computing the neutrino flux, essential for all accelerator-based neutrino studies. This improved flux prediction has allowed for precise measurements of oscillation parameters (e.g., Eur. Phys. J. C 83, no.9, 782 (2023)) and neutrino-nucleus interactions (e.g., Phys. Rev. D 108, 112009 (2023)). In the NA61/SHINE experiment, we oversee the entire neutrino physics program, conducting various measurements to improve T2K and DUNE flux predictions (e.g., Phys. Rev. D 108, 072013 (2023)). We recently start involving in the development and analysis of the DUNE prototype near-detector installed at Fermilab's NuMI beamline, aiming for precise neutrino-argon interaction data near future. The experimental Neutrino Physics group is funded by the NKFIH OTKA grant (FK137812, 2021-2025).

MEMBERS

	Nagai Yoshikazu assistant professor ELTE website
	Pingal Dasgupta postdoctoral fellow ELTE website
	Munkhjargal Lkhagvadorj PhD Student

CONTACT

Webpage of the research group: t2k-experiment.org, shine.web.cern.ch, www.dunescience.org