DRAFT of BENE First Report 30-04-2004
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Introductory section.

The first few months of existence of BENE have been marked by the following main activities

1)      Setting up of the network.

2)      Planning of the network activities for its first 18 months

3)      Preparation of two FP6 Proposals for Design Study

4)      Organization of the 1st BENE week in February

5)   Organization of a MICE Collaboration meeting at CERN at the end of April.

6)   Preparation of the 2nd BENE week in May at CERN. This will be a special week, including a general interest Workshop, that we see as an important milestone in our general plans.

1) Setting up of the Network

The Network is coming gradually into activity. It profits of pre-existent structures, created by endorsement ECFA or by direct mandate from CERN: ECFA: Physics Study Groups (neutrino oscillations and more), an accelerator European Neutrino Group (ENG) and Betabeam Working Group. These are now being federated in BENE. Joint ECFA/BENE Weeks of meetings have and will be held from now on, at CERN unless specified.

A 0th Joint ECFA/BENE Week took place already in November 2003 in the three days preceding the general kick-off meeting of CARE. The 1st Week in the official lifetime of BENE, in February 2004, was marked by good attendance and by some important results, see 4) .We expect a major boost from our next important 2nd Week of meetings is May, see 5).

BENE participation is already contributing to advancement towards a consensual road map for accelerator neutrinos in Europe beyond our present facility, the CNGS. An important event may have been the Neutrino Oscillation in Venice (NOVE) Workshop held in December 2003, where appreciable progress may have been achieved. Plans for a new CERN neutrino superbeam and betabeam complex, to be exploited by a new major European underground laboratory accessible via the Frejus road tunnel, are being now seriously considered by some policy making and funding agencies. A specific agreement was signed by CEA, INFN & IN2P3. BENE is fully committed to the advancement of these plans.

International contacts of BENE are also being fostered by: 1) participation and contributions to the first meetings, early March in BNL and ANL, of the on-going neutrino studies of the American Physical Society. 2) frequent contacts with the rest of the international community, Japan in particular, that have taken regularly place in several occasions. Collaborations and common events are being organized.

BENE Web pages have been set up. The main page is

http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/bene/welcome.html

from where all existing information can be reached. We profit at the moment mostly of links to pre-existing pages, developed over the past years, by the working groups mentioned above. We expect the Web Pages to reflect, more a more in time, the process of federation in progress within BENE.

EU funds are still just becoming available to us and have not been used yet. We estimate that we have spent by now, from funds from participating labs, about 30 KEuros, in travel and subsistence expenses. No BENE funds are foreseen to hire personnel.

2) Planning of the network activities for its first 18 months

Central activities of the network are essentially all planned out now for the first 18 months. This calendar is posted on the main Web page mentioned above.

In the summer of 2005, after 18 months of life of BENE, at the time of our Interim Report, we will

1) host the International Workshop on Neutrino Factories and Superbeams, NuFact05,  in Europe. (LNF' s candidature for June 05 will be presented at NuFact04).

2) produce "comprehensive book type documentation" to the CERN management as an input to their decision process on accelerator R&D choices. 

June 05 is a decisive time for us and we are trying to plan all the steps (studies, reports, events) to get successfully there.

3) Preparation of two FP6 Proposals for Design Study.

BENE is fostering and contributing to two FP6 Proposals for Design Studies.

 

The Betabeam team is participating to the Eurisol Design Study (DS), whose WP11 will be a Betabeam work package, for which about 1 M Euros will be requested. This will focus on reacceleration and storage of  beta-emitting ions. Notice that also some most promising TARGET concepts, common to EURISOL and neutrino factory & superbeam applications, are also be a subject of the Eurisol DS. This Proposal was submitted on the the March 4, 2004 deadline.

 

All other teams are participating to the preparation of the NuFact&Superbeam Design Study. Following recommendations from ECFA, submission will be postponed to March 2005. Work continues very actively, under the coordination of R. Edgecock, aiming at the next deadline, expected to be March 2005.

See  http://hepunx.rl.ac.uk/~edgecock/NufactDS/.

 

4) Organization of the 1st BENE week (Mon 16- Thu 19, February)

 

Agenda and most slides are accessible at http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/Events/200311/agenda.html

 

In the DRIVER sector, the HARP meeting Monday and Tuesday showed considerable progress in data analysis. Some results did start indeed flowing in, already by the March conferences. The Betabeam team met Monday and Tuesday in the framework of the Eurisol meeting. The Eurisol Design Study was then presented to our general Wed morning BENE accelerator meeting.  In the MUFRONT sector, a MICE Detector meeting, Monday evening, progressed well on the design of the upstream PID detectors. The MUEND team met on Tuesday afternoon, focusing on FFAG's, and. Meot reported Wednesday morning.

 

The Plenary meeting of the accelerator WP's , Wed morning, approved the decision that the NuFact&Superbeam Design Study will be postponed  to Mar 2005. Work continues very actively, under the coordination of R. Edgecock; a program was laid out for next steps in its preparation in 2004, on a dedicated meeting Thursday morning . Edgecock�s summary is available. We decided in particular to activate a specific forum of the DS WP on detectors R&D, that will meet  in the framework of the BENE PHYSICS group. Organization of a first session in May started then with M. Mezzetto, P. Hernandez and P. Strolin.

 

The PHYSICS WP met Wed afternoon. The status of the preparation of the Workshop "Physics with a multi-MW proton source", also organized in cooperation with EURISOL was reviewed and scope and format were presented & discussed. Our DRIVER WP set up to follow that very closely (A. Mosnier is associated to the meetings of the PAC). J. Bouchez showed the text of the IN2P3/CEA/INFN agreement on the study of the Frejus underground lab. More discussion on the higher gamma beta beam option was felt to be necessary and will be now organized.

 

5) Organization of a MICE Collaboration meeting at CERN at the end od March.

 

The WP5 BENE teams, particularly the one from Univ. of Geneva, organized from Mar 29 to Apr 1 a Collaboration Meeting of the International Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE), approved and in the early phase of construction at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the UK. See http://hep04.phys.iit.edu/cooldemo/cm/cm8/cm8.html. Major progress was achieved in the further definition of all the components of the experiment. The status of the difficult fund raising process was reviewed and actions planned. The crucial issue of securing to MICE a larger share of European human and financial resources was discussed in depth. MICE has, meanwhile, passed in April its second Gateway towards funding in the UK. 

 

6) Preparation of the 2nd BENE week (May 24-29) at CERN.

 

This will be a special week, http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/Events/200405/Agenda.html

including a general interest Workshop, strategic in our planning. Normal activities will precede and follow it.

The Workshop on "Physics at a multi-Megawatt proton Source", intends to explore both the short and long term opportunities to particle and nuclear physic offered

by a multi-MW beam with a few GeV from a proton accelerator. In particular, its potential for a superior neutrino facility with unprecedented sources of intense

muon and electron neutrino beams, superior slow muon and kaon facilities, and a world-leading radioactive ion beam facility for nuclear, astro- and fundamental

physics (EURISOL).

 

The organization of the Workshop is rooted in about a a year of contacts and discussions among experts in the neutrino sector of particle physics and in the

radioactive ions sector of nuclear physics (ISOLDE, EURISOL). It marks, therefore, an attempt to establish a joint venture between the two communities even

beyond  the betabeam sector, extending it to the realization of a common novel proton driver. The main option is a Superconductive Proton Linac (SPL).

It is our hope that the Workshop can bring useful contributions to the debate on strategic accelerator R&D choices in Europe that will be selecting the most promising options in the near future. A summary of the Workshop conclusions will be proposed, along with all slides, on its Web Site. After the Workshop, BENE will assemble and summarize the knowledge presented. It will be submitted to the strategic discussions on the future of fixed target physics that the CERN SPSc Committee will hold in Villars in September. 

1.0 WP1 (PHYSICS).

Regular meetings have been held during the BENE weeks. These meetings continue to bring together the neutrino physicists community, promoting and stimulating the discussion on new ideas, concepts and initiatives in the field of neutrino physics, the monitoring of the status of neutrino experiments currently producing data.

 

The physics case for the Frejus project has been strongly developed. The WP s is involved in the optimization of both the SPL SuperBeam and the Beta Beam, in the definition of the detector specifications, in the promotion of the detector R&D, in the development of contacts and exchange of information with US and Japanese colleagues that are leading experts in this field, in the study of the promises of the Frejus project, also outside of accelerator neutrino physics. The WP is represented, by its convenor, in the joint task force set up by CEA/INFN/IN2P3.

 

The definition of the physics case for the SPL SuperBeam and for a Neutrino Factory advances, in view of the presentation of the design study the next year. Studies on detector technologies and on R&D choices have been initiated.

 

The beta beam concept has been extended, towards both a higher and lower energy options. They address different physical issues than the baseline option and have different timescales. The study and the comparison of these options is a major focus of activity of the WP.

 

A new accelerator experiment has been proposed in the USA (NOVA experiment at Fermilab) and a next generation reactor experiment has been proposed and partially approved in France. These experiments may change the panorama of neutrino physics in the next 10 years and new studies are required to fully understand the perspectives in this timescale. This activity has already started and serious efforts are in progress in the WP .

 

Collaboration has been established with the WP4 regarding the optimization of the optics of the SPL SuperBeam and its capabilities at higher energies, in the view of the sensitivity on theta13 and the leptonic CP violation searches. Collaboration has been established with the WP5 regarding the optimization and the requirements for the beta beam.

 

After the NOVE Workshop in Venezia, and profiting of the preparation of  the Workshop "Physics with a multi-MW proton source", a tighter collaboration has been developed, for the organization of several workshops and conferences, about neutrino physics in Europe. The WP is thus also involved in the preparation of a workshop in Elba in June (focusing on the option of a proton driver of a higher energy than the SPL), a workshop on �Physics & Logistics of a Megaton detector� in Paris and a Workshop the potential of Novel Neutrino Beams in Trento in October.

 

The web pages of the working group are being created, updating the ones already in existence. A WP Welcome Page has been set up at

http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/bene/WP/physics.html. The web site Neutrino Unbound, that will be accessible from there, has been and will be maintained and improved. This site provides a daily monitor of the scientific publications appearing in the electronic servers, commented updates of the new results in the field of neutrino physics, collaborations with American Physical Society that is developing similar initiatives.

2.0 WP2 (DRIVER)

The DRIVER WP is concerned with a future high power proton driver. A driver is the backbone of any future neutrino facility in Europe. The recognition of that absolute priority has led to identify in a Workshop on "Physics at a multi-Megawatt proton Source" as the natural first specific initiative of BENE. After the approval of HIPPI R&D program, we aim at approval at CERN of the next stage of a linear driver (LINAC4) in 2006, when choices are being planned, by the CERN Management. In order to match that time scale a timely initiative was required and is presently absorbing most of the energies of the WP team.

All the key members of the WP are strongly involved in the preparation of the Workshop. This event will, in fact, touch upon all the topics of interest of the WP:

1)      Comparison of the merits of Superconducting Proton Linacs (SPL) and Rapid Cycling Synchrotrons (RCS)

2)      Evaluation of their impact on the performances of the CNGS, possibly already by means of  a irst stage (HIPPI; LINAC4)

3)      Evaluation of the implication of HARP data, expected in May in preliminary form,  or the SPL/RCS choice

4)      Assessment of prospects for intense H- sources and high power injectors  

5)      Assessment of HIPPI results on fast choppers and accelerating structure

6)      Recommendation of technologies for all driver components.

Although no specific meeting of the WP has been organized, many meetings have taken place between members of the WP and discussions on all its themes have been taking place

1)      in the framework of meetings in preparation of the NuFact&Superbeam Design Study, where R&D plans beyond HIPPI are being formulated

2)      in the meetings of the Workshop Program Committee

3)      in the meeting of the HIPPI JRA, that has an important overlap with this BENE WP.

The WP is preparing now to be able, after the Workshop, to contribute a major portion of the material that will assembled in view of the discussion in Villars in September. 

In addition to the HIPPI activities, work will start soon towards preparation of version 2 of the SPL Conceptual Design Report. If HIPPI will give major answers to the technology choice, the new study on SPL should give major answers on the overall design and feasibility of the linac itself.

A WP Welcome Page has been set up at http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/bene/WP/driver.html

3.0 WP3 (TARGET)

High power targets to be used for production of neutrino beams must dissipate up to 1 MW of power, from a 4 MW or so proton beam, at up to 50Hz. The work is aimed at finding an acceptable solution to this severe problem. At present, investigations are proceeding with mercury jet and solid targets.

 

Members of WP3 have been engaged in the following:

 

  1. FP6 Design Study. Considerable effort was put into the proposal for a Design Study before a decision was made early in 2004 that the application should be delayed until 2005. Work is still ongoing towards that deadline.
  2. The series of meetings, so far held during the ECFA weeks, are continuing now as joint ECFA/BENE meetings. Frequently they are in part held together with the collector group within the framework of the ENG. Preparations for the next meeting on 24 May are well advanced and the agenda has been issued to the community.
  3. The UK (through PPARC) has funded research into shock in solid targets. Considerable effort was expended in writing a successful proposal.
  4. It is planned to hold an international meeting on shock in solid targets later this year.
  5. Thanks to an initiative originated in the US, an experiment has been proposed at CERN to study mercury jets in a 15 Tesla solenoidal magnetic field in the PS nTOF beam line. BENE teams (CERN, RAL) and KEK are part of the collaboration. Funds for EU participation to the experiment will be requested in the framework of a DS. The proposal (Studies of a Target System for a 4-MW, 24-GeV Proton Beam) is now in front of the CERN INTC (Isolde & nTOF Committee). It can be viewed at http://www.hep.princeton.edu/~mcdonald/mumu/target/cern_proposal.pdf and will be reviewed late in May by INTC.
  6. The possibility of holding the Second International Workshop on High Power Targets in 2005 is being examined at PSI and RAL.

 

A web page has been set up for the target section of the network http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/bene/WP/target.html.

 

WP3 deliverables include:

 

  1. Target Test Area. A dedicated test area is beyond the present funding capabilities of the laboratories; however, the in-beam test with the mercury jet in the CERN nTOF beam line will be almost as effective. If the shock studies show that solid targets are viable, then it is possible that single pulse beam tests could be undertaken at CERN in the same experimental station and/or at ISOLDE.
  2. Meeting of the target section are continuing and international meetings are being set up.
  3. The road map is taking a two-pronged approach to the target R&D � liquid metal jets and solid targets. The present research being undertaken should enable a decision on which target to adopt for the final design.
  4. Agendas and contributions to the meetings of the WP3 and the target sections are all available at the web site.

4.0 WP4 (COLLECTOR)

Work Package 4, in existence within the �Target & Collector� Working group inside the European Neutrino Group, had started already in 2003 to identify baseline actions to set up a Collector Facility in the near future. The kernel of this group is the team that is working also on the CNGS collector systems. The BENE kick off, 1st January 2004, has however triggered some new developments in the Working Group as:

1.      setting up of a dedicated Web page on the subject (see http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/bene/WP/collector.html);

2.      writing of a draft of a Collaboration between CERN and LAL-IN2P3 to install and operate at LAL some existing CERN equipments concerning High Voltage Power Supply and Horn Prototype;

3.      writing of a draft of a R&D proposal at LAL concerning: new High Voltage Power Supply, a mechanical simulation of a new Horn Prototype, a measurement of thermal diffusion coefficient to extract 30kW from a Aluminium cylinder representative of the weak point of the future Horn prototype�

4.      setting up of a detailed simulation program of the proton-Target interactions, the collection of secondary particles by a horn prototype � la CERN, the pion/kaon decay tunnel, as well as the physics potential of such beam line in the field of q13 and CP violation studies. This simulation work has already produced nice results presented by A. Cazes at Collector & Target meeting and summarized in the CERN-NUFACT-134 note (see http://slap.web.cern.ch/slap/NuFact/NuFact/NFNotes.html).

5.      the discussion concerning the irradiation of materials by high flux of spallation neutrons at European Facilities, to measure their limit fatigue curve as the Al 6061/6082 alloy, as they change their mechanical properties (see CERN-NUFACT-130 note).

 

The people who have interest in the WP are for the CNRS/IN2P3 laboratories are IN2P3 (S. Katsanevas), CENBG(C. Marquet, F. Piquemal), LAL (J.E. Camapagne, A. Cazes, J. Bonis, M. Omeich), LPNHE (j. Dumarchez), IPNL (D. Autiero).

 

For the moment, among these laboratories only LAL members have performed some appreciable work, mainly due to the fact that the CNGS horns are built in this laboratory. The other labs will be more involved soon and we hope to attract others too.

 

In the past years, pioneering work has been performed by CERN also on future perspectives, and S. Gilardoni�s recent thesis will serve as basis for the new developments.

 

In the restricted community of people in the world, involved in the operation of Neutrino Beams, around 50 persons, a yearly specific workshop is organized called NBI (Neutrino Beam Instrumentation). The previous workshops had taken place in 1999 at KEK, in 2000 at FNAL, in 2002 at CERN. In 2003 at KEK, some representative of the WG have presented status report on the CNGS Horn project (see http://www-ps.kek.jp/nbi2003/). In 2004, the workshop will probably take place at FNAL.

 

Participation and contributions of the WP to this event and to the Neutrino Factory NuFact04 Workshop is also being prepared.

 

5.0 WP5 (NOVEL n BEAMS)

It is structured in 3 subteams. See http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/bene/WP/NovelNeutrinoBeams.html.

 The first two are concerned with Neutrino Factories, based on muon storage ring, respectively the Front End (collection, phase rotation, cooling) and Back End (reacceleration and coasting) of a Muon Complex . The third is concerned with BetaBeams, based on radiactiive ions storage rings.

These are three seminal teams, aiming at collecting and disseminating information, establishing and orienting the first R&D efforts in these crucial areas.

5.1 WP5a (MUFRONT)

The activities of the MUFRONT working group have centred on a number of different areas, as follows:

 

(1)     Forming the network: the main area of activity has been forming a Mufront network, based on the participants in BENE, but also making links with interested people in Japan and the US.

(2)     Communication: a web page for the working group is under development. It can be found at

       : http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/bene/WP/mufront.html

(3)     or from the BENE home page. In addition, a mailing list for the group is being created.

(4)     Meetings: although a formal Mufront meeting did not take place, a number of members of the group attended the BENE meeting in February and informal discussions have taken place. It is planned to have our first formal meeting in the near future.

(5)     Design Study: the tasks to be performed by the group to achieve its goals are currently being determined. It is already clear that these will include simulation, theory and hardware R&D work and will take the form of a design study. As a result, it is proposed to include the work in a planned bid to the FP6 Design Study programme.

(6)     Interaction with MICE: the MICE experiment is the largest muon frontend R&D project with significant European participation. It is clear that the work done by MICE will be in important for the Mufront group. However, as the MICE collaboration existed before BENE, the exact role it will play with this group needs to be determined. This is being done as part of the Design Study preparation of (3).

5.2 WP5b (MUEND)  

The "muon acceleration" activity (BENE/WP5/MuEnd) has been started in due time, assembling a team of collaborators (16 persons, 5 National Institutes). There is potential for more collaborators and for better participation of all team members: efforts and money (e.g. for participation to meetings, travels, invitations) need be put in this direction. Co-financing by CEA/CERN of a PhD student has been obtained, started in January 2004. The BENE/WP5/MuEnd activity field has a very strong potential for generating PhD and post-doc subjects in the field of accelerator physics and beam dynamics. 

A web page http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/bene/WP/muend.html has been created that, for the moment, summarizes the organisation of  the team and its  activities, and already gives some links to the events it has taken part in, to report banks, etc. This web page will be continuously developed and enriched in the future. 
 
A list of activities: 
 
The BENE/WP5/MuEnd group has taken part and reported to the Dec. 2003 BENE "kick-off" meeting, and to the first BENE meeting of Feb. 2004. Links to these will be provided in the BENE/WP5/MuEnd web page. 
A strong effort has been devoted in December 2003 and January 2004 for elaborating the FP6 Design Study proposal "NuFact/SuperBeam", with in particular participation and report to all the dedicated meetings. 
A magnet specifications document regarding the quadrupole  muon collect funnel/channel has been elaborated in 2003 in the frame of these DS activities, and contribution of CEA/DAPNIA has been officially obtained on the topic. 
The FP6/DS activity will carry on in view of the March 2005 bid. The main aspects are, constitution of a team, a program of activity concerning the FFAG way for 
muon acceleration ; the question of R&D programs in that frame, possibly for instance on superconducting magnets in collaboration with the Japan KEK teams, needs special attention. 
The group participates regularly to the Japan/US videoconferences regarding FFAG design works. Efforts and money should in the future be devoted to the participation to the related meetings such as the Japan and the North-American FFAG workshops. 
Present activities of BENE/WP5/MuEnd focus on contribution to the next main events: NuFact04  workshop (July 04), the Japan/US FFAG videoconferences (more or less monthly), and the Japan FFAG workshop (Fall 04).  
The main topics presently worked at (and actors) are machine  design studies and code developement regarding~: the quadrupole muon collect funnel/channel (CEA, CERN), the high energy FFAG (CEA, CERN ; RAL is also active on that topic), various FFAG topics as magnet simulations, tracking, cooling  (CEA, CERN, RAL).

 

5.3 WP5c (BETABEAM)

The beta-beam working group has met two times within the framework of the BENE network meetings. The discussion has focused on the physics reach of a beta-beam facility, the optimum base-line (distance between the facility and the detector), presentations of the CERN conceptual design and the joint EURISOL-betabeam design study proposal. The physics reach issues have covered in joint meetings with the neutrino physics group and has in addition to oscillation physics also covered physics with a low energy beta-beam for nuclear structure, astrophysics and neutrino magnetic moment measurements.

 

The CERN base-line scenario has evolved over the period covered by the BENE network and important theoretical work on radiation safety and stacking issues have been executed and published. Experimental work has been performed to test the principle of asymmetric bunch merging for the longitudinal stacking scenario in the PS accelerator at CERN. This work included both hardware modifications of the existing longitudinal beam control system and machine development sessions with high brightness proton beams. The results are very encouraging and show that it is possible to perform asymmetric bunch merging with very high efficiency.

 

The main focus of the work at the participating laboratories has beside the theoretical physics studies been the preparation of the design study proposal. The objective of the design study proposal was in close collaboration with the design study writing group fixed to a conceptual design report for a beta-beam facility. A first analyses of the required work was done at CERN and the resulting work breakdown structure was submitted to the participating labs who were asked to identify contributions. The resulting proposal has been analyzed in detail and the beta-beam group has judged that the objectives should be within reach.

All information accessible at http://muonstoragerings.web.cern.ch/muonstoragerings/bene/WP/betabeam.html


6.0 Concluding section

Setting up of the network and planning of the activities for its first 18 months is well advanced. The 1st BENE week hasd been heldi in February and a MICE Collaboration meeting at the end of April. A tight net of frequenty meetings and discussions, in person and by modern telecommunication, is encouragingly  taking shape.

 

Preparation of the 2rd BENE week in May is in progress including a general interest Workshop. By means of this Workshop, BENE plans to bring useful contributions to the debate on strategic accelerator R&D choices in Europe that will be selecting the most promising options in the near future. A report wil be

prepared for important upcoming discussions (Villars).

 

Preparation of FP6 Proposals for Design Studies has been and will stay among BENE highest priorities.

 

International presence of BENE is already well manifest. NuFact04 is our next major appointment.