Abstract
We propose the operation of LEvEL, the Low-Energy Neutrino Experiment at the LHC, a neutrino detector near the Large Hadron Collider Beam Dump. Such a detector is capable of exploring an intense, low-energy neutrino flux and can measure neutrino cross sections that have previously never been observed. These cross sections can inform other future neutrino experiments, such as those aiming to observe neutrinos from supernovae, allowing such measurements to accomplish their fundamental physics goals. We perform detailed simulations to determine neutrino production at the LHC beam dump, as well as neutron and muon backgrounds. Measurements at a few to ten percent precision of neutrino-argon charged current and neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering cross sections are attainable with 100 ton-year and 1 ton-year exposures at LEvEL, respectively, concurrent with the operation of the High Luminosity LHC. We also estimate signal and backgrounds for an experiment exploiting the forward direction of the LHC beam dump, which could measure neutrinos above 100 GeV.
Highlights
Background contributions to coherent scatteringThe relatively large neutron flux at Position C is a source of backgrounds for coherent scattering
We propose the operation of LEvEL, the Low-Energy Neutrino Experiment at the LHC, a neutrino detector near the Large Hadron Collider Beam Dump
We have demonstrated that a liquid argon neutrino detector, LEvEL, operating near the Large Hadron Collider beam dump, is capable of performing precise measurements of specific neutrino interaction processes to the level required by next-generation experiments
Summary
We detail our assumptions regarding the LHC Beam Dump and the surrounding environment, including shielding, surrounding soil, and the possibility of a nearby detector. We see that our proposal is among the best for S/ B and better than all of the current/proposed facilities for S/B, with these assumptions regarding signal and background scaling Motivated by these figures of merit and the potential of the LHC beam dump for low energy neutrino physics, we proceed to more detailed numerical studies. In all positions we observe that the neutrino flux is dominated by pion (πDAR), muon (μDAR), and Kaon (KDAR) decays at rest, together with the contribution of muon decay in flight This flux is originated from the interactions of the LHC beam protons with the beam dump material, in such a way that a large quantity of mesons is produced due to the large energy of the incoming flux. In appendix A, we provide further studies of the high-energy neutrino flux as a function of the off-axis angle and neutrino energy
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