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Precision measurement of the neutrino velocity with the ICARUS detector in the CNGS beam

Journal of High Energy Physics volume 2012, Article number: 49 (2012) Cite this article

Abstract

During May 2012, the CERN-CNGS neutrino beam has been operated for two weeks for a total of ~1.8 × 1017 p.o.t., with the proton beam made of bunches, few ns wide and separated by 100 ns. This beam structure allows a very accurate time of flight measurement of neutrinos from CERN to LNGS on an event-by-event basis. Both the ICARUS-T600 PMT-DAQ and the CERN-LNGS timing synchronization have been substantially improved for this campaign, taking advantage of additional independent GPS receivers, both at CERN and LNGS as well as of the deployment of the “White Rabbit” protocol both at CERN and LNGS. The ICARUS-T600 detector has collected 25 beam-associated events; the corresponding time of flight has been accurately evaluated, using all different time synchronization paths. The measured neutrino time of flight is compatible with the arrival of all events with speed equivalent to the one of light: the difference between the expected value based on the speed of light and the measured value is δt = tof c −tof ν  = 0.10 ± 0.67stat. ± 2.39syst. ns. This result is in agreement with the value previously reported by the ICARUS Collaboration, δt = 0.3 ± 4.9stat. ± 9.0syst. ns, but with improved statistical and systematic accuracy.

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Author notes

  1. T. Feldmann

    Present address: TimeTech, Stuttgart, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. INFN — Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi, AQ, Italy

    M. Antonello, N. Canci, C. Rubbia, E. Segreto, D. Stefan, R. Sulej, C. Vignoli & P. Spinnato

  2. Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia e INFN, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, I-35131, Padova, Italy

    B. Baibussinov, S. Centro, D. Dequal, C. Farnese, A. Fava, D. Gibin, A. Guglielmi, G. Meng, F. Pietropaolo, F. Varanini & S. Ventura

  3. Dipartimento di Fisica e INFN, Università di Pavia, Via Bassi 6, I-27100, Pavia, Italy

    P. Benetti, F. Boffelli, E. Calligarich, R. Dolfini, A. Menegolli, C. Montanari, A. Piazzoli, A. Rappoldi, G. L. Raselli, M. Rossella & A. Zani

  4. Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche e INFN, Università Federico II, Napoli, Italy

    A. G. Cocco & G. Fiorillo

  5. INFN, Sezione di Milano e Politecnico, Via Celoria 16, I-20133, Milano, Italy

    A. Cesana, P. Sala, A. Scaramelli & M. Terrani

  6. H.Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kraków, Poland

    K. Cieslik, A. Dabrowska, M. Haranczyk, M. Szarska & A. Zalewska

  7. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

    D. B. Cline, S. Otwinowski, H. G. Wang & X. Yang

  8. Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, prospekt 60-letiya Oktyabrya 7a, Moscow, 117312, Russia

    A. Dermenev, S. Gninenko & A. Ivashkin

  9. CERN, European Laboratory for Particle Physics, CH-1211, Geneve 23, Switzerland

    A. Ferrari, C. Rubbia, P. Alvarez Sanchez, J. D. Gonzalez Cobas, J. Serrano & T. Wlostowski

  10. Università di L’Aquila, via Vetoio, Località Coppito, I-67100, L’Aquila, Italy

    E. Scantamburlo

  11. National Centre for Nuclear Research, A. Soltana 7, 05 400, Otwock/Swierk, Poland

    J. Lagoda, J. Stepaniak & R. Sulej

  12. IInstitute of Physics, University of Silesia, Uniwersytecka 4, 40-007, Katowice, Poland

    J. Holeczek, J. Kisiel, I. Kochanek & S. Mania

  13. INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Via Fermi 40, I-00044, Frascati, Italy

    P. Picchi

  14. Institute of Radioelectronics, Warsaw Univ. of Technology, Nowowiejska 15/19, 00 665, Warsaw, Poland

    P. Plonski & K. Zaremba

  15. Dipartimento di Fisica e INFN, Università di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127, Pisa, Italy

    F. Sergiampietri

  16. DIIAR-Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133, Milano, Italy

    L. Biagi, R. Barzaghi, B. Betti, C. De Gaetani, D. Passoni, L. Pinto & M. G. Visconti

  17. METAS Federal Office of Metrology, Lindenweg 50, Bern-Wabern, Switzerland

    L.-G. Bernier

  18. Optics Division, INRIM (Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica), Torino, Italy

    G. Cerretto & V. Pettiti

  19. Time Department, Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada (ROA), San Fernando, Spain

    H. Esteban

  20. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Bundesallee 100, D-38116, Braunschweig, Germany

    T. Feldmann

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  1. M. Antonello
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  2. B. Baibussinov
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Consortia

The ICARUS collaboration

Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. Pietropaolo.

Additional information

ArXiv ePrint: 1208.2629

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The ICARUS collaboration., Antonello, M., Baibussinov, B. et al. Precision measurement of the neutrino velocity with the ICARUS detector in the CNGS beam. J. High Energ. Phys. 2012, 49 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2012)049

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2012)049

Keywords

  • Neutrino Detectors and Telescopes