The INO project

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The INO project BARC-CU-DU-HRI-Hawaii-HPU-IITB-IM
SC-IOP-PU-PRL-SINP-SMIT-TIFR-VECC
A brief introduction to neutrinos Neutrinos were
proposed by Pauli to save the laws of
conservation of energy and angular momentum and
statistics in nuclear beta decay. It has zero
electric charge, mass ? 0 and exists, as far as
we know, in 3 varieties viz. ?e ?? ??
corresponding to the electron and its heavier
cousins the muon and tau lepton. Neutrinos
interact only weakly with matter making them very
hard to detect. For example, a 1 MeV ?e has a
mean free path in matter of about 108 km. Each
neutrino has, if it is a Dirac particle, its
antiparticle partner. However it could also be
its own antiparticle (Majorana particle). If so
one should observe neutrinoless double beta
decay.

• Sources of neutrinos
• Atmospheric neutrinos - cosmic ray interaction
  in upper atmosphere produce ?? and ?? whose decay
  generates roughly two ??
• for every ?e, E? ? GeV, neutrino flux ?(?e )
  ? 105 m?2 sec?1
• Solar neutrinos - E? ? 0.1-15 MeV, ?(?e ) ? 6 ?
  1014 m?2 sec?1
• Neutrinos from man made sources such as nuclear
  power reactors - E ? 0.1-5 MeV, ?(?e ) ? 1013 m?2
  sec?1 GWth?1 at 1 km
• Geoneutrinos from beta decays of 40K, U and Th
  chains (contributing ? 40 heat production in
  earth) E ? 0.1-2 MeV, ?(?e ) ?
• 5 ? 1010 m?2 sec?1
• Supernova explosions in the cosmos where 99
  energy released as neutrinos (total no. of
  neutrinos emitted over few secs ? 1058

Neutrino physics has witnessed an explosive
growth following some landmark experiments 1.
SuperKamioka - anomalous ratio of ?? /?e for
atmospheric neutrinos and solar ?e deficit
confirming the results of the pioneering 37Cl
experiment of Davis (fetching him the 2002 Nobel
prize in Physics) 2. Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
(deficit of solar ?e observed as other active
species through the neutral current
interactions) 3. CHOOZ (no deficit of reactor
anti-?e over L ? 1 km) KamLand (deficit of
reactor anti-?e over L ? 200 km)
Atmospheric neutrinos were first detected in KGF
(1965) by a TIFR group. The Indian Neutrino
Observatory (INO) is an initiative to revive
underground experiments in this exciting field
(see http//www.imsc.res.in/ino). An MoU signed
by participating DAE institutes on 30th August,
2002 to work towards a proposal for INO.

• After discussing various possibilities it was
  decided to work towards a 50-100 kT magnetized
  iron calorimeter (ICAL) with tracking gas
  detectors for measuring the momenta of charged
  products following neutrino interaction with the
  detector material. The physics goals of such a
  detector are
• 
  Precise determination of
  neutrino oscillation parameters using atmospheric
  neutrinos
• Matter effect for neutrinos and antineutrinos,
  observed via R(L/E) N(??)-N(??)/N(??)N(??)
  for sin2 2?13 ? 0.05
• Possible CP and CPT violation in leptonic sector
  (also if sin2 2?13 ? 0.05)
• Study of Kolar events, ultra high energy
  neutrinos and multimuon events
• In future ICAL could be used as the end detector
  in a long baseline accelerator neutrino
  experiment for determining oscillation
• parameters at a higher precision. The
  geographical location at a latitude of 11.5?N
  allows the possibility of probing the earths
• core using accelerator neutrinos from
  Fermilab, USA

Schematic of 50 kT magnetized iron calorimeter
with tracking detector trays
A possible configuration of current coils and
magnetic field lines and direction
Schematic of underground experimental cavern
Of the two possible sites, Rammam near Darjeeling
in West Bengal and Pushep near Ooty in Tamilnadu,
the latter has been chosen as the preferred site
on the basis of seismicity, proximity to
industrial towns, equator, connectivity etc.
Disappearance of ?? through Nup(??) / Ndown(??)
vs L/E? (a simulation for ICAL)
Schematic of atmospheric neutrino transport
through earth to detector
1 - sin2 (2Q) sin2 (1.27 Dm2 L/E) - sin2 (2Q)
sin2 (1.27 Dm2 L/E)
??
Detector
Size of cavern 150 m ? 22 m ? 30 m
Earth
Site infrastructure detailed project report by
March, 2007 Active collaboration from HEP and NP
community is requested !
??
Panoramic view of Pushep site from TNEB guest
house at Masinagudi