PSILOGO

Laboratory for Particle Physics (LTP)


LTP Colloquium

Detection of a First nutau Candidate Event in the OPERA Experiment

Thursday, November 4, 2010, 16:00
E6/OSGA

A. Ereditato, University of Bern

Abstract:
The OPERA neutrino oscillation experiment is looking for the first evidence of the direct appearance of neutrino oscillations in the CERN to Gran Sasso CNGS neutrino beam. The detector is placed in the largest underground laboratory in the world, the LNGS, at a distance of 730 km away from CERN. Key element of the experimental apparatus is the 1250 ton nuclear emulsion/lead target, able to provide for such a large mass a micrometric space resolution for the unambiguous detection of the decay of the tau leptons, possibly produced by the interaction of tau-neutrinos created in the oscillation of the CNGS muon-neutrinos. First positive results are presented and discussed together with an outlook.