A combined beta-beam and electron capture neutrino experiment

TL;DR

This paper proposes a hybrid neutrino experiment combining beta-beam and electron capture methods using Ytterbium ions, aiming to improve sensitivity to neutrino properties like CP violation and mass hierarchy.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid setup for long baseline neutrino experiments, analyzing its potential to enhance measurements of key neutrino parameters.

Findings

Enhanced sensitivity to CP-violating phase delta.

Improved determination of neutrino mass hierarchy.

Optimal beam energies and baselines identified.

Abstract

The next generation of long baseline neutrino experiments will aim at determining the value of the unknown mixing angle, theta_{13}, the type of neutrino mass hierarchy and the presence of CP-violation in the lepton sector. Beta-beams and electron capture experiments have been studied as viable candidates for long baseline experiments. They use a very clean electron neutrino beam from the beta-decays or electron capture decays of boosted ions. In the present article we consider an hybrid setup which combines a beta-beam with an electron capture beam by using boosted Ytterbium ions. We study the sensitivity to the CP-violating phase delta and the theta_{13} angle, the CP-discovery potential and the reach to determine the type of neutrino mass hierarchy for this type of long baseline experiment. The analysis is performed for different neutrino beam energies and baselines. Finally, we also discuss how the results would change if a better knowledge of some of the assumed parameters was achieved by the time this experiment could take place.