Neutrinos
Contact person - Ted Kycia 516-344-3706 kycia@bnlk04.phy.bnl.gov
The fundamental question of the mass of the neutrino is still unresolved. There are enticing hints from neutrino oscillation experiments with solar neutrinos, cosmic rays and the ongoing LSND experiment at LAMPF that the neutrino mass in non-zero. However none of these results is conclusive and they span very different regions of mass and mixing angle space. Planned experiments, for example, Super-Kamiokande, SNO, MINOS at Fermilab, may or may not clarify many of the issues.
There is a window of opportunity here for definitive experiments in this area at BNL. A recent proposal for a Long Baseline experiment to address the cosmic ray results was rejected by a HEPAP subpanel. Given the timescale and projected cost of other efforts in this area it might be opportune to look at a less expensive experiment for BNL. Alternatively, the parameter space of the LSND experiment at LAMPF is clearly within the scope of an experiment at BNL. Some thought has been given to the basic parameters required for an experiment at the AGS to cover the LSND signal region. With the significant increases in intensity from the recently commissioned Booster it should be possible to develop a very competitive, cost effective proposal for this mass, mixing angle domain. While this might be the focus for a discussion of options at the AGS-2000 workshop one could clearly conceive coupling this with more traditional neutrino physics such as neutrino proton elastic scattering. Brookhaven has had a long and distinguished history in neutrino physics. The recent significant increases in beam intensity, the availability of a ~1 GeV neutrino beam, coupled with the available neutrino expertise in the Accelerator Department, offer the promise of significant contributions to neutrino physics in the next century. The initial goal for the AGS-2000 workshop will be to solicit the input of interested scientists to decide if there is credible, cost effective way for a neutrino experiment at BNL to make a major impact in the field. The ultimate goal is to form the nucleus of a collaboration to produce a proposal for submission to the Laboratory.